The Terminators: Army of Legend - Volume VIII: Antichrist
by Sir Areis Lionheart
Summary: In the final installment to the Terminators: Army of Legend series, Alpha Company finds themselves against their deadliest foe yet-themselves-while they struggle to take down Vergil and stop the end of the world. Rated M: For Intense War Violence, Strong Language, and Sexual Content. NOTE: NOT ABOUT THE ROBOTIC TERMINATORS! NAME IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL!
1. Prologue: Reincarnation

_**Prologue**_ **:**

 **-''Reincarnation''-**

 **-Vermilion, Illinois-**

 **- _04 April 2016_ -**

 **- _1109 Hours_ -**

Alex Vaughn sparred with his best friend, a Pokemon named Terrias, in the backyard of the former's parents' home in the small, rural town of Vermilion, Illinois. The young Great Commander of the Terminator Militia had been challenged by his friend in an attempt to take his mind off of recent events. Ruby, a bottlenose dolphin and Alex's mate, hadn't been feeling well as of late, and the Commander feared for her health. He loved her deeply, more than one could expect a human to do, and he worried about her safety and well-being. With their physician and most of their army trapped in the enemy-occupied New Alexandria, Montana—the capital of the Terminator Militia currently under siege by an evil, celestial being known as Vergil—there weren't very many people that they had who know enough to see what was wrong with the dolphin. Terrias and his mate, Aria, had both been trained as medics, and it was the latter who was checking on Ruby. Alex felt anxious, worried, _frightened_ even, for the dolphin's health, and he eagerly awaited an update from Aria on what was going on.

At last, Aria slid open the back door and stepped outside, quickly approaching them. Terrias paused in their session, nodding towards Aria and standing aside. Instantly, Alex's blue eyes widened, so full of emotion that it was almost alien to him, and he quickly ran to the female servine, asking as to the dolphin's state of being. "Well..." Aria began, "I've got some...interesting news."

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, "Is she okay?"

Aria smiled sheepishly, scratching her head, "Um...how can I explain this..."

"You might as well just put it to us bluntly," Terrias replied, spear sticking in the ground beside him, arms crossed at his chest.

"Very well then...Ruby is...well she's pregnant."

Alex's eyes widened, "Pregnant? She's been spending some time with Sapphire?"

"I'll...let her talk to you..." and Aria led them both back inside of the house, walking towards the living room where Ruby laid on the living room couch, eyes brightening at the sight of her mate, containing both excitement and a deep, unfathomable love for her human partner.

"Alex!" the dolphin began cheerily, "Guess what? I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant!"

"Who's the father?" Alex chuckled, knowing very well that the only other dolphin she showed attention to, a bull named Sapphire, was the probable candidate.

Here, Ruby's smile softened until it became one less of excitement and more of pure, unfiltered love, " _You_ are."

Alex stiffened, surprised by the response, and he grinned widely, "You're funny, Ruby..." he chuckled.

"It's true," she replied, smile diminishing at his doubt.

"How so?" Alex asked, "We aren't compatible!"

"Well it wasn't me," Sapphire replied, he was laying on the floor beside them, "I haven't mated with her in weeks."

Faintly, odd memories of a dream he had a few nights earlier, of being a dolphin competing against a pod for the affections of a female, returned to the surface of his mind. It was a dream that Sapphire and Ruby had apparently experienced, too, and Alex felt alarmed, "Surely that dream couldn't have had anything to do with it, right?"

She shrugged, "I don't know...but unless it's like the Virgin Mary to baby Jesus...that's the only explanation I can think of. I _am_ pregnant, and I'm positive that it's from your seed."

Alex remembered the orders relayed to him by the archangel Gabriel, taking on a mortal form to speak briefly with them throughout their fight with the archdemon Deitus. The angel had mentioned several times that Deitus had to be killed so that he could be reborn.

His eyes widening, Alex asked, "Do you think...do you think it's Deitus?"

Ruby's face adopted a grim expression, "I...I didn't think about that..." and she gently caressed her belly, seemingly both frightened and worried at the same time.

The front door burst open then and the rest of Alpha Company—Alex's personal unit in the Terminator Militia, comprised almost entirely of various species of sentient animals, all containing mutations granted to them by a special serum the militia had that gave them incredible powers—entered the room, led by a Martaanean Forest Dragon named Piermont, currently in his commonly-used (even moreso than his natural) human form.

"Hey guys!" Ruby exclaimed, eyes brightening and smile returning once again, "I'm pregnant!"

"Pregnant?" Cynder, a female dragon, Alex's third-in-command, and another one of his lovers, replied, "I thought you and Sapphire didn't meet anymore?"

"We haven't in weeks," Sapphire replied, "It isn't my child."

"Then who's is it?"

"It's mine..." Alex replied grimly, "Remember that dream Ruby, Sapphire, and I had a few days ago?"

"Yeah...but that was just a dream...wasn't it?"

"I don't think so..." Alex replied, "Wouldn't be surprised if that was Gabriel meddling with us so that I could actually get her pregnant."

"So that fucking child has Deitus' soul?" Piermont hissed. The archdemon had murdered the dragon's mate, and with the dragon already in a very fragile mental and emotional state before hand, the death of his lover and mother to his child had very nearly, if not completely, sent him over the edge of insanity.

"We don't know that..." Alex replied.

"Bullshit we don't! That's the only other fucking explanation!" he snarled, bearing his teeth in a maddened grin, "Aria! Abort that fucking child! We don't need Deitus running around again!"

"No!" Ruby exclaimed, horrified, clutching her belly, "You aren't going to hurt him!"

Piermont stomped away, mumbling something underneath his breath and disappearing back outside, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Please..." Ruby begged Aria, "Please don't hurt him..."

"I'm not going to, Ruby..." Aria sighed, "Piermont's just a dick."

When the air had calmed, Alex once more took a seat beside his mate, cradling her head and hugging her tightly, kissing the top of her snout, "I'm so proud of you, Ruby."

She squeaked in elation at the contact, "Why are you proud of me? You did it, too!" and she sighed happily, "My dream is coming true...I'm pregnant with your children!"

Alex affectionately scratched the dolphin's head, "I love you, Ruby."

"I love you, too."


	2. Chapter I: Vernhelm

_**Chapter I**_ **:**

 **-''Vernhelm''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _18 May 2016_ -**

 **- _1600 Hours_ -**

The cold, crisp air smelled freshly of pine as a mare, as black as night, trotted across the winding dirt road through the surrounding, icy taiga. A faint snow drifted lazily from the heavens with little wind to blow it around, and the silence in the world was calm and serene. In the cloudy skies above, the sun made its slow descent into the horizon, casting the mountainous land before the horseman, clad in a dark blue cloak with the hood pulled over his head, in a soft, golden glow. Upon emerging from the pine forest, the horseman briefly stopped to observe his surroundings, spying rolling foothills stretching for miles and miles ahead, with the silhouettes of dozens of gray peaks lining the horizon. At the bottom of the hill, he could see his destination, a small settlement enclosed by walls crafted from sharpened logs half-buried into the ground. From here could see countless bodies moving around, constructing new buildings, or new towers to encircle the perimeter and protect the walls from the deadly wild. Snapping his reins, the horseman took off down the hill, followed by a small group of people tailed by a second horseman sitting upon a mottled brown stallion. This second horseman was taller, a teenage boy with bright, brown eyes, long, brown hair down to his shoulders, and finely tanned skin. He wore a hardened leather tunic over a dingy white undershirt, with hardened leather pants and dented, battle-worn greaves fashioned from hand-forged steel. At his waist upon a hand-made belt lay a leather sheathe, with the black leather-wrapped hilt and crystalline blue pommel of a sword jutting out from within. The boy's eyes scanned the horizon fiercely, and he shook his head to loose the snow from his hair, keeping close watch over the group he was guarding.

Arriving at the gates, the leading horseman raised a white, furry, goat-like paw in greeting towards the armored guards patrolling the towers to either side of the wooden gate, and without so much as a single word, the gate itself slowly opened to reveal. Once inside the compound, the first horseman lowered his hood, revealing a small child with a white-furred, goat-like face, tiny, demonic horns upon his head, bright, innocent, almost glowing orange eyes, and two floppy ears that slapped his cheeks as he moved. The boy guided his mare to the stable, hopping down from his mount and patting the creature's flank tenderly before slipping back out into the central plaza of the compound. The second horseman did likewise, patting the goat boy affectionately on the back and staring over the events going on past them. Armored knights and guards took turns sparring or batting towards straw dummies, with a few archers near the back of the plaza testing their skill against bales of hay upon which targets had been crudely painted upon. "So, Zaz," the second, human boy began, "Where did your dad want us to take the rescued soldiers?"

The goat boy, named Azazel after the goat demon of Biblical lore but preferring to go by 'Zaz' due to evil stigma surrounding his full name, replied in a distracted tone, "I'm not sure, Nick...he didn't say."

Nicholas Swiftsword V, not a stranger to these medieval lands, only sighed in exasperation and waved for the newly-rescued prisoners to follow him towards the large house upon the hill near the back of the settlement, the home of the compound's founder and adopted father of Azazel. The goat boy himself began to navigate his way through the crowd, passing into the market district and scanning for any familiar faces. At last he saw Terrias, a Pokemon,called a servine, who was part of his father's army, currently training a small group of new recruits.

"Terrias!" Azazel called, moving his way through the group to where the servine was standing.

His attention attracted, Terrias excused himself and walked towards Azazel, bracing himself as the goat boy leaped into his arms and hugged him, "You're back! Alex was getting worried."

"We ran into some difficulties...nothing that Nick and I couldn't handle though."

"Did you get found out by Vergil's forces?"

"No, but _Filios Diaboli_ is _still_ crawling all over New Alexandria...and it only seems to be getting worse."

"Shit..." Terrias breathed, "So it's probably a bad idea to try launching a counterattack to take the city back, huh?"

"Unfortunately..." then, "Hey, have you seen daddy?"

"Last I saw him, he Avery, Kira, and Eli went out to go hunt...they should be back before dark."

"How's mama?"

"She's doing well enough..." the servine replied, "Haven't checked up on her recently though."

Great Commander Alex Vaughn of the Terminator Militia laid prone in a small dug out beneath a bush, peering out through the wall of snow around him at his target up ahead. An elk casually strolled about, feasting from the frozen grass. With a smirk, the Commander adjusted his position, reaching to grab his hand-crafted bow and nock a black-feathered, flint arrow from the hard leather quiver laying beside him. He blew the long, shoulder-length dark brown hair out of his cold, blue, killer's eyes, closing one to get a rough aim at his target. When at last he had it lined up, he released the tension on his bow, listening to the whistle of his homemade arrow rocket forward. It whizzed past the elk, scattering the beast, and with a swear, the Commander crawled out of his foxhole, raising the hood of his black bear-fur cloak and chasing and chasing after the creature, withdrawing his spear from its sheathe around his back. He took aim with the weapon, crafted from fine, cherry-stained oak, with an obsidian head, thick enough to survive impact with objects but thin enough to cut through anything with relative ease, and tied in place with a piece of hand-woven red thread. Two sleek black feathers poked through the thread, the weapon being a gift from his friend, a harpy named Kira.

As he neared the beast he was pursuing, he heard the thunk of a crossbow and a bolt tore through the back of the creature's head, sending it down. Bearing his teeth, white squares shining from beneath his goatee, the twenty-three year old swore, "For fuck's sake! _ELI!_ That was my kill!"

"Sorry, Commander," Elijah Blake—the only other human, aside from Alex, in the predominantly animalian Alpha Company of the Terminator Militia—replied, stepping out of the treeline, "That's what you get for waiting so long," and he smirked, "By the way, you're arrow's in that tree...might wanna watch where you're aiming next time, almost took my head off!" and the man, roughly mid-to-late thirties, average height and build, with black hair plastered against his head by sweat, brown, almond-shaped eyes, a five o'clock shadow walked towards his kill, replacing his crossbow at the holster on his waist and tearing the bolt free, readying the kill for transport. He wore a fur coat, leather pants, combat boots, and a cross necklace around his neck, with various tools for hunting at his waist, and talked in a soft southern drawl.

Alex walked over to the tree Eli had pointed him to, tearing his arrow free and examining the head to ensure it was still intact. Sliding it back into his quiver, Eli called to him, "Y'know, if you want to learn how to use a bow and arrow, all you gotta do is ask."

The Commander said nothing, ignoring him and walking deeper into the taiga. He next fell upon Kira, the harpy herself dragging three freshly-killed bucks across the snow upon a crudely-made sled. The harpy was a little taller than Alex's average height, wearing little more than crude leather clothes to cover herself. She had obsidian-black, feathered wings, wild, fire-red hair, light brown skin, and fierce, brown eyes. Only her stomach, chest, face, lower legs and arms were human in appearance, the rest of her was covered in those obsidian feathers and clearly avian in appearing, although she looked less like an amalgamation of man and bird, but an evolutionary achievement. "You gonna help, dumbass, or you just gonna stand around staring?"

Alex broke from his trance with a shake of the head, jogging over to her and taking one of the reins, helping her drag the sled uphill, "Sorry, just not used to seeing you in something other than that flimsy cloth bra and loin cloth."

"It's cold as hell out here, you _really_ think I'm gonna walk around, bare-ass naked in this shit? I'll start doing that when you run around out here in nothing but your birthday suit!"

"Love you, too."

"No you don't, don't lie."

"I seem to recall we're mates so...gotta be some kinda love in there, right?"

"Yeah...but you didn't really have a choice..."

"Point is?"

She shrugged, "Okay, you win, dumbass. Let's just get this shit back to Vernhelm before it gets any darker. Need to unload and come back here, causes three bucks ain't gonna feed the whole settlement."

"Especially considering Zaz and Nick were supposed to come back with those prisoners..." Alex frowned, "I really hope they got Zinnia..." and he sighed at memory of the young woman and old friend he had to leave behind when the multiversal Vergil, a borderline eldritch abomination, older than time itself, that had laid siege to the Terminator capital of New Alexandria, Montana over six months earlier.

"Sure she's fine, Alex."

"Yeah...we'll see..." and he grinned, "Aww...you didn't call me 'dumbass' that time."

"Fuck you."

"I thought we agreed we weren't doing that again?"

She rolled her eyes, "Jeez, you're an asshole."

"Yeah? What's new...if you ain't used to that now, might wanna get on that," then, "So where's your girlfriend at? Haven't seen her."

"First off, fuck you, she's not my girlfriend, she's just a friend, second of all, I have no idea where Avery's at."

Alex chuckled, "Jesus, why do you get so bitchy over being called Avery's girlfriend?"

"Cause she's the bitchiest harpy I've ever met, for one."

"Yet you're still besties."

"Yeah, well...I've learned to tolerate it."

Just as the skies darkened to a deep indigo, the hunting party arrived at the gates of Vernhelm, where after a brief exchange with the guards, they were allowed entrance into the fortified settlement. "Right, thanks for the help, dumbass," Kira replied, taking a break to catch her breath, "I'm gonna go see to it that our kills go to the mess hall, then I'm heading back out there, see if I can bag anything else before dark."

"You kidding? It's gonna be dark in like, half an hour at most!"

"Yeah? That's still enough time for me to track and kill, at the very least, a few rabbits or foxes. 'Sides, I'm not scared of the dark like you," and she grinned widely.

"I ain't scared of the dark...dark's my friend. I'm just scared of the shit that runs around in the untamed wilderness after the sun goes down. We're in the middle of unsettled territory, it's dangerous outside these walls."

"I can hold my own in a fight...I mean, I've kicked _your_ ass, haven't I?"

"Cept at the Proving."

"Only cause I let you win, now shut up and go check on your dolphin, like I _know_ you want to do."

"Yo, Alex!" Terrias began, running up to the Commander.

"What's up?"

"Zaz was looking for you, he's checking up on Ruby."

"Will do..." then he halted the servine as the creature was about to run off again, "Hey, Terrias...did you see Zinnia in the rescue party?"

The Pokemon shook his head, "No, I asked about that and they said that they couldn't find her. They did get Fox but...that's about it: Heinrich, Aphrodite, Bleu, and Zinnia are still who the hell _knows_ where."

"Swear to _fucking_ God, if Vergil so much as lays a hand on her!"

"Chill out, Alex, you act like you care about her or something..."

The Commander narrowed his eyes at the servine, "Shut up, Terrias."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger, man. I'm just telling you what I was told. You want details? Go ask Zaz or Nick."

"Well...thanks anyway."

"No problem."

After seeing the Pokemon back to his hut at the edge of the settlement's plaza, Alex turned his attentions to his longhouse at the top of the hill near the back of Vernhelm, briskly running up the stone steps until he reached his home. Letting himself into the main room, he was greeted by a hot fire burning brightly in the pit within the center of the room, and the smell of food. Azazel, having traded his cloak for a clean, blue t-shirt and shorts, was tending to a pot of soup he was cooking on the fire. Upon seeing the Commander back home, and as Alex took off his cloak to hang and dry by the door, Zaz excitedly ran up to him, leaping into Alex's arms and hugging his adopted father, "Daddy! You're back!"

Alex chuckled, "Yeah, I'm home, finally. Glad to see you made it back...I was getting worried about you..." and he rustled the goat boy's furry head.

"Well...we had to be a little more careful this time around..." then Azazel frowned, "We...we couldn't find Zinnia, I'm sorry."

"That's fine..." the Commander sighed, "I just hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she is! She's tough! We _did_ find Doctor Fox though! He's checking up on mama."

"How's mama doing?"

"She's got a cold but she promises that the baby is okay..." then Azazel's face adopted a stricken look, and he bore his fangs in fear, "I'm still kinda worried about that baby...if my _real_ dad comes back...I'm afraid he'll try to hurt me...to hurt _us_...again."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Alex replied, "Gabriel promised that Deitus' soul is purified now, so that baby should be safe."

"Well...you might want to keep Pierre away from him...Piermont thinks mama should abort the baby..."

"You don't mind him..." Alex replied sternly, "He won't do anything...if he does, I'll put a bullet between his eyes."

"Well...soup is almost ready so...I hope you don't mind, I went through the garden earlier...picked a lot of fresh vegetables and stole one of Kira's rabbits. I'm not sure how it'll taste but...I hope it's good."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Alex replied, kissing the boy's forehead and watching as Azazel ran off back to his post. With a sigh, the Commander entered the house's north wing, to the left of the front door, spying Ruby herself laying in the shallows of a small, heated pool they had dug into the ground.

Upon entering the room, Alex saw Doctor Randall Fox sitting in a chair by the pool, dozing. He was a man of mid-to-late thirties, with thinning black hair, a face rounding with age, and dressed in his classic t-shirt, jeans, and unbuttoned lab coat, only now dust and grimy, appearing as if it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. He was born to an American mother and a Scottish father, having emigrated to the United States at a young age, so that no trace of his accent remained. Although he had a PhD in psychology, his hobby was researching biology and animal anatomy—both real and mythical—and as such served as Alpha Company's primary physician. Smiling widely towards the sleeping doctor, Alex quickly undressed and dove into the pool, joining his mate in the water. Ruby happily swam to her human lover, nuzzling and rubbing herself against him affectionately, and Alex kissed the top of her head, "How are you feeling, Ruby?"

She shrugged, "I've been better...I wish I knew pregnancy made me so sick...I would have reconsidered."

The Commander gently nudged her onto her back, affectionately rubbing and kissing her distended belly, "Everything's fine?"

"Fox says that it is, from what he knows without technology anyway."

"Well that's good to hear..." then, "Has Piermont been giving you trouble?"

"Haven't seen him...glad I haven't, too...he really had me scared for awhile there, talking about how I should kill the baby before it's born."

"Pierre's...got some problems going on, don't worry about him."

"Yeah...easier said than done..." and Alex gently rubbed the dolphin cow's sleek, gray body, paying special attention to the base of her dorsal fin—her favorite spot to be scratched. She squeaked in elation at the contact, and he responded by kissing her head and snout once again. After several moments of silence, she sighed, "I really hope that Gabriel was right...that Deitus' soul _is_ pure...I don't want to give birth to that monster and force us to have to find a way to kill him again."

"I don't see why he would lie. Gabriel seems like an ass but...why would a fucking _archangel_ lie?"

"He seemed really adamant to get us to kill Deitus so he could be reborn...I can't help but feel that the angels don't _care_ about _us_ , they just care about reuniting Messorem's _Old Regime_ so that we can bring about the apocalypse...as if Armageddon needed us anyway...everywhere I look outside it's just...more Beams."

"Everything will be fine, Ruby...don't worry."

Just then, Azazel trotted into the room, humming a tune to himself, "Mama! Daddy! Supper's ready!"

At his exclamation, Fox awoke from his slumber with a jolt, stretching and blinking away the sleep, "Oh! Alex! Hi!"

"What's up, Fox?"

"Better now that I don't have that demonic creep looking over my shoulder 24/7..." and the doctor leaned forward, rubbing his face, "Oi...I feel like shit."

"I don't blame you," Alex chuckled, "I trust you're taking care of my little gemstone here," and Ruby squeaked happily at the pet name.

"Oh yeah...she's fine. Although...how the bloody _fuck_ did you manage to get a dolphin pregnant?"

"It's...a long story, Fox," the Commander sighed, "Please don't ask me to explain it, it won't make any sense to you."

"Okay then..." he sniffed the air, "What's cooking?"

"Zaz made supper for us," Alex replied.

"That's sweet! Glad _someone_ in the family knows how to cook."

"Screw you, Fox," Alex replied with a grin, and he hugged the aging doctor, "But it's good to see you safe and out of harm's way."

"Yeah...well Vergil hasn't necessarily been _too_ terribly cruel to us. We rarely ever see him, honestly. He usually sends his little demon friends to do all the work while he does...whatever it is he does up in that floating castle," then, "So, it looks like you guys are pretty well-off right now."

"Yeah, we've been busting our asses the past few months building ourselves this little sanctuary from the ground up. Been a ride and we're _still_ not done. Having to share houses because we don't have a home for everybody yet."

"Made a lot of progress for so little time you've been working on it. Especially since we're in the middle of the freaking Gothics, so I doubt there's access to pre-processed building materials."

"Nope, had to make everything ourselves: chop down our own trees, quarry our own rock...like I said, it's been a lot of hard work, but damn I'm proud of our little home here. Plus, we're largely safe from outside threat. All we _really_ have to worry about is the occasional bandit or raider, but they never get past our perimeter walls, and we have _more_ than enough guards patrolling everything...Ulfric's been good to us with soldiers and trade."

"I'd hope so...you boys practically won that civil war for him."

"Fair point."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starving!" and Fox stood up, groaning as he popped his back and vanished into the main room.

"Hey, Alex, mine giving me a hand?" Ruby asked, and the Commander helped her out of the pool and onto her tail flukes. She took a few uneasy steps forward and struggled to stand upright, squeaking in surprise when she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Not used to the extra weight?"

The dolphin blushed, embarrassed, "Shush...if you were carrying around this...little package...you'd probably have a hard time standing up, too."

While Alex ate with his family, there was a firm knocking on the door. Excusing himself, he stood up, walking around the fire pit and answering the knock. He stepped aside to allow Kira inside, carrying an armful of freshly-chopped meat, "Got dinner for Tiberius and Athena..." she sniffed the air, "What's that smell?"

"Rabbit stew," Azazel replied, "I made it myself."

"Smells good."

Almost immediately after her announcement for food, the two velociraptor twins, Tiberius and Athena, trudged into the room: Tiberius identifiable by the two blue stripes down his scaly back, Athena by the single bright red, almost pink stripe. The raptors enjoying their meal, Kira poured herself a bowl and sat beside Alex, to the opposite side of Ruby.

You're a fool to think you can stop Armageddon!

 _Alex opens his eyes, blinking around to find that he's not laying in bed by his mate's side, nor is he even in Vernhelm with the rest of his unit. Instead he's in a strange plane, above he can see an endless cap of white, luminescent clouds, and down beneath him he can the same...as if he's trapped between two layers in the sky. All around him, darkness spans on infinitely, and he can see thousands, no_ millions _, of white beams of light shooting into the sky from the cloudy ground, as if the light are supports to keep the two layers apart. In addition to these beams, he can see the ruins of stone, brick towers, of which he counts only a few._

 _He hears a distant, inhuman roar, something even_ more _ethereal than this realm he finds himself, it's something that he can't describe, but yet he somehow knows what creature emitted such an alien sound,_ the Alpha Breaker... _he thinks to himself,_ What is going on here?

You have initiated Armageddon! _that alien voice continues, hostile, accusing, and omnipresent, telepathic,_ You have doomed our realms to oblivion! A crime you will pay dearly for in time!

" _Who are you?" Alex asks, "I didn't do anything!" but that ethereal roar sounds again, and Alex turns to watch as an immense, serpentine wyvern slithers through the void, crashing into one of the many beams and shattering it with a violent, earth-shaking crash, like the shatter of glass. The beam falls into shards towards the clouds over the floor, and parts of the sky begin to collapse onto the ground. As the clouded ceiling collapses over his head, he cowers to the ground and..._

...his eyes snapped open at the sound of a light rapping on the front door in the adjacent room. With a groan, he quietly climbed out of bed, throwing on his cloak, made from the fur and hide of a black bear, and slipped outside his room towards the door. He quietly opened the door, peering outside to see a small, dark form standing in the doorway. "Cynder?" Alex asked, "Everything okay?"

The she-dragon, standing up to the Commander's chest in height, as black as night with ruby-red belly scales, turned her sad, emerald-sapphire eyes towards her second mate, asking, "Mind if I come in?"

"What's going on?" the Commander asked, handing her a cup of freshly-brewed peppermint tea.

The dragoness shook her head, "Spyro kicked me out of the house."

"What happened now?"

She shrugged, "I don't know...he's been becoming increasingly violent and aggressive since you came back...I think he's afraid that he will lose me to you again..."

"We haven't done anything since before Terrias and I were sent away to prison."

"I know," she frowned, "But he doesn't think that...he treats me like I'm some kind of monster...we haven't been intimate for months, and he hasn't actually shown me _love_ since before the Reapers attacked two years ago. I'm afraid he'll become what Piermont is..."

"I don't think that will happen..." Alex replied, sipping from a bottle of mead, his new favorite drink, "Realm Dragons aren't necessarily known for forging dragon/rider bonds, let alone fatal bonds like Martaanean Dragons are."

"He just seems so _different_ after you and Terrias were captured by the Reapers...it's like he's losing his sanity, just like what became of Piermont."

"I think what sent Pierre over the edge was Cherub's death...even if he had been collapsing prior. I'm sure losing your mate, especially in monogamous species like Martaanean Dragons, is something that is very hard on you."

"Says the human, who's a traditionally monogamous species," Cynder chuckled.

"First of all, the human race is becoming increasingly polygamous...it's not like losing a girlfriend or a wife forbids you from finding a replacement...it's a tad bit different with Martaanean Dragons. Second of all..." he shrugged, "I'm hardly a prime example of monogamy...sure it hurt when I lost Sarah but...eventually I overcame it."

"You weren't really all for her anyway," Cynder chuckled, "First with Zinnia, then me, then Dash, then Ruby...now Kira..."

Alex frowned, "There was far from any real pleasure in Kira..." he replied, "I thought I could do it but...thoughts of Ruby kept haunting me...I didn't want to lose her, too. Zinnia was a childhood crush that...although I wanted to take her as a lover...I slowly overcame when I met Sarah."

"Until she returned."

"Shut up..." the Commander frowned, then, standing up and stretching, "Make yourself comfortable, you can stay as long as you need."

"Thanks..." she replied, "Really...thank you so much for being there for me...you don't know how much that means to me..."

"I love you, Cyn...you know that."

She smiled, eyes shining brilliantly, "I love you, too..."

"Goodnight..." and he smiled towards her before returning to his bedroom, quietly closing the door and climbing back into bed, curling around Ruby's sleeping form.


	3. Chapter II: Relapse

_**Chapter II**_ **:**

 **-''Relapse''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _19 May 2016_ -**

 **- _0719 Hours_ -**

Alex opened his eyes from another hellish nightmare, sitting up in bed and peering towards the window where a thin ray of sunlight shone through the heavy, leather drapes. He rubbed the sleep in his eyes, turning to face Ruby, sleeping soundly in bed beside him, curled into as small a ball as she could muster with her pregnant belly, her back to him. He smiled towards his mate, gently stroking her side and kissing her muzzle before climbing out of bed, walking to the window. Snow drifted lazily down from the gray, dreary heavens, despite being in the middle of summer, and he tried to make sense of the dream. He and Terrias had found themselves in prison once again, where they were beaten ruthlessly by the guards and other inmates, all while Ruby's screams for help had echoed through his mind.

He once more turned to face his sleeping mate, feeling a sort of loneliness and longing to be with her. It had been months since they had last been intimate with each other, and although she seemed more interested in sex now than ever before, he found that the very concept of the act scared him. Reality had hit him like a oncoming train when he had been arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for his bestial activities. Upon that moment he had realized that he wasn't immune, that he was still susceptible to punishment, and it had _definitely_ knocked him from his self-erected pedestal. Now he was scared to do so much as touch her in a nonsexual way, and this frightened him greatly. She craved his touch, had attempted countless times to seduce him, but he had turned her down without so much as an explanation. In truth, he was afraid of showing the dolphin such a fear. It was irrational and emasculating, and he was afraid that Ruby would be offended if she knew the truth. At the same time, that look in her eyes, that look of hurt and distrust...it cut him like a knife. Even though she wouldn't say anything, he could tell that she _was_ deeply hurt, that she was worried there was something going on, that perhaps he didn't love her anymore.

He made sure to tell her as often as he could that he loved her dearly, that she meant more to him than anything else in the world, but this did little to ease her stress. He wanted to tell her his fears, to tell her what was going on, but a combination of her tendency to overreact and his own foolish pride took the words from his mouth, leaving him speechless. He kept telling himself that it was a passing phase, that once he had sank back into the groove of things, that he would resume his usual activities and lifestyle...and he feared that Ruby would overreact at his admission and decide it was best if they never made love or showed affection towards each other again. This was something he didn't want to lose, or even take the _chance_ of losing. So he did what he always did in these scenarios, he maintained his silence and thought that if he couldn't describe his feelings to not even bother trying to explain them at all.

Casting another pained look towards his sleeping mate, he wandered into the living room, smiling sadly towards the sleeping Cynder laying by the smoldering hearth before slipping into the kitchen, taking a bottle of mead, popping the cork, and upturning the entire bottle into his gullet. His senses faded and blurred, euphoria spread through his body, bringing with it a sense of comfortable numbness, and he felt his stresses melt away in a torrent of comfortable heat flaring deeply throughout his body. His vision wavered and rocked like a boat at sea, and he fought back a very light bout of nausea before throwing open the front door and stepping outside into the cold morning, collapsing against the stone wall of his longhouse and sliding down to a sitting position, staring down the hill upon which his house sat over the expanding settlement, numb hands laying between his outspread thighs, barely holding onto the half-empty bottle of alcohol. His thoughts fizzled away, leaving his normally busy mind blank and empty...an alien feeling that wasn't entirely unpleasant. Oh yes, he would overcome his petty fears and freely love his mates again one day, it would just take some time to adjust to his normal lifestyle once more after so long away from his unit and the ones he loved more than the world itself.

 _Pathetic_ , an all-too-familiar voice spoke to him telepathically, and Alex turned his head to the side to see his old friend Zack Dawson sit against the wall. The deceased young man smiled widely, nodding towards the Commander, "Burying your sorrows in the bottle...like every other sorry little sap in the world today. How the mighty have fallen, _little Ali_."

Alex chuckled drunkenly, flipping the entity the bird, "Suck my fucking cock," he said with a grin, "You don't know jack about what I'm feeling."

"What happened to you, _Ali_? You were never such a coward, such a pathetic waste of a human being in the past. How did that little dolphin change you?"

"Fuck you..." Alex replied grimly, "Ain't my fault you couldn't keep the girls like I can," and in the blink of an eye, the hallucinated entity had vanished into thin air, "Yeah?" Alex continued, "That's what I thought, fucking cunt."

After several more minutes of silence, Alex stood up, stumbling over to a nearby tree and relieving himself. He heard his front door close, and the drunken Commander peered over to spy Cynder walking towards him, concern in the black dragoness' emerald eyes, "Alex?" she asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Just peachy," he replied, shaking off and stumbling back over to her, patting her affectionately on the head before returning to his dazed slouched against the wall.

"Are you drunk again?" she replied, aghast.

"What?" he replied with a foolish grin, "Was it that obvious, mate?" and he laughed, taking another drink from the bottle, "Fucking hell, I don't care anymore...you shouldn't either. This shit keeps me sane...you should try it."

The she-dragon shook her head with a sigh, obviously disappointed in her second mate before wandering off towards the plaza at the bottom of the hill.

He frowned grimly with an exasperated sigh, "Love you, too."

Reaching the end of his bottle, he casually tossed it aside, leaning back against the wall of his house, sighing with a smirk, "I'm a fool...wonder how I manage to keep Ruby through all this bullshit...my lovely little gemstone. She even loves a fucking wreck like I...how in the hell did I ever get so lucky?"

He finally stumbled back inside, making his way back to the bedroom and standing in the doorway, smiling towards his sleeping mate. Ruby had turned towards where he would normally sleep, wearing a wide grin in her slumber, fin gently resting on her pregnant belly.

"Ruby..." he whispered, more to himself than her, "If only you knew just how much I love you...I don't deserve someone as loving as you are. You are my world, my precious treasure, my little gemstone. If only the world could see our love, if only they could understand...I want to show you that passion and intimacy that we both crave...but I'm so scared. I hope you understand that it's not about you...I'm just a coward...I'm weak. You still love me, right? Like I love you? I don't _need_ to show you intimacy for you to understand how I feel...do I?" he sighed, "Please forgive me...forgive my cowardice."

"Hey, Terrias!" Cynder called, rushing across the plaza to catch up to the servine, who was currently browsing through the day's trader's goods.

"What's up, Cyn?" the Pokemon asked, picking up and tossing an apple into the air, taking a bite from it.

"We need to talk about Alex..."

"What about him?"

"Every time I see him he's soused to the gills...I'm starting to get worried."

"He's fine," the servine replied, "Just...under a lot of stress that's all. I don't blame him, what with Pierre losing his shit, Ruby pregnant with a reincarnation of Deitus, a nearly invulnerable foe, the loss of New Alexandria, the fact we're right at Armageddon's fucking doorstep, the Feds most likely after our asses with the prison breakout...and many, many other things, is it really any surprise? I'd be stressed to hell, too."

"At least promise me you'll talk to him."

"What the hell can _I_ do? I don't have any control over him."

"No, but you're his best friend...this isn't right."

"It's not my place to get involved in his personal life. Am I worried for him? Eh...maybe a little bit, but it's not my business."

"Ruby's getting worried, too. Alex has been really distant with her lately."

"Okay, you mean distant as in _actually_ distant, or distant as in _Ruby's_ definition of distant, meaning a dry spell in their sex life."

"Terrias..."

"I'm serious, Ruby starts freaking out whenever Alex has something other than sex on the brain. If you wanna bring someone in for some kinda intervention, bring in Ruby."

"Regardless, Ruby's getting worried, too...this isn't healthy."

"I'd much rather Alex being drowning his sorrows in the bottle then closing himself off in his room and severing all mental contact with Alpha Company. Least he's not suicidal."

"I just...I think someone should talk to him, try to see if there's something we can do to help him relieve his stress."

"That's not my business," Terrias replied, "You're his mate, _you_ do it. Although, may I make a suggestion?"

"What?"

"Before you get involved in Alex and his relationship with Ruby, perhaps you should work out your relationship with Spyro first, hmm?"

Cynder scowled, "This has nothing to do with he and Ruby, this is about Alex and his alcoholism. I only brought her into this because she's as worried about him as I am, perhaps more so!"

"Listen, let Alex do what Alex does. If he fucks up, that's on him, consider it a learning experience."

"How can you not be in the _least_ bit concerned? He's your friend!"

"I know," Terrias replied grimly, "But I _also_ know that I can't tell him what to do. I can't sit here and babysit him, nor do I want to. If he wants to be a drunk? So be it, but what he does is on him. He's a big boy, he can take care of himself. It's not my responsibility, it's not _your_ responsibility, it's not _anyone's_ responsibility to keep him in line. Besides, I think he deserves to have a few vices here and there, he doesn't have many and he busts his ass with work. So how about you let him enjoy something, even if you don't agree? Personally, he's been handling all this shit exceptionally well, if a bottle here and there is what he needs to cope, then good on him. Now, I suggest you worry less about him and more about yourself."

Cynder sighed, "I suppose you're right then."

"Do you need me to talk to Spyro?"

The she-dragon shook her head, "It's best if you don't...that will only make things worse."

"If he's abusing you, he needs to get his ass beat, nobody here is gonna put up with that shit and he needs to learn that _real_ quick."

"There's nothing you can do that nobody else has tried."

"I beg to differ, haven't seen anyone else beat his ass into a bloody pulp, give him a nice slice of karmic justice."

"It's best if you don't get involved, it's just better for everyone."

"All right," Terrias replied reluctantly, "But if you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

"Will do."

"And don't worry about Alex...I'm sure he's fine. We've just been under a lot of stress lately—all of us—that it's starting to dick us over. Alex will overcome it, he always does, just...let him deal with it however he can. I'll monitor him and if things become _too_ bad, I'll intervene."

"Thanks, Terrias."

"No problem, Cyn...do you need someplace to live for awhile?"

She shook her head, "No, Alex took me in."

"All right," Terrias paid the trader for his goods, "I've got some crap I have to do, so I have to go, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," and without another word, the servine hurried off, leaving the she-dragon to stare after him.

Alex quietly stumbled back into his longhouse, making his way back towards the bedroom where Ruby had just awoken. The dolphin smiled happily towards her mate, subconsciously rubbing her belly, and the Commander couldn't contain a grin as he approached her. "How you doing?" he asked, trying to enunciate as clearly as his drunken mind could. His mutations against the alcohol surging through his system left him in a peculiar state, it was as if his body was drunk, but his mind was still largely clear, possibly buzzed at worst.

She shrugged, "I'm alive, which I guess is better than anything..." her smile then dissolved into a frown, "But I'm tired of being sick all the time, laying back down against the light...also I'm still not used to the extra weight..." she chuckled nervously, "Dolphins weren't designed to walk upright...ha..."

He approached her, helping her to stand and leading her outside, supporting her as she relieved herself against a tree.

"Admittedly," she continued, blushing towards him, "I will be happy once he's born..." then after several moments of silence, "Alex...can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Are you ashamed of me?"

The sincerity of her question caused the Commander to stiffen and his blood ran cold. He turned to face her, noticing that her expression was unreadable, although he could see a slight hint of fear and hurt in her eyes. "Of course not," he replied, "Why would you even suspect such a thing? I love you."

She shrugged, her body language like that of a young girl facing her crush face-to-face, "It's just...it's been a long time since we've mated...you don't seem interested anymore and I'm just...I'm afraid that I did something wrong, that I'm _doing_ something wrong."

He shook his head, "It's not that at all."

"You would tell me if I was doing something wrong...right?"

"Of course."

She nodded reluctantly, and he could tell that she didn't exactly buy his promise. With a sigh, he guided her back into the longhouse, taking a seat beside her on their bed and beginning, "Listen...do you promise you won't be mad at me?"

She nodded, "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared..." he replied, shaking his head, "After Terrias and I...after we went to prison...I'm scared. The passion is just...it's hard to get in the mood when you're scared someone's watching you in the shadows."

"But it's not that way!"

"I know but...my mind...still is paranoid about all that...and I find that I'm not in the mood. It's nothing about you."

"No...it is very well about me..." she sighed, "Because I'm a stupid _fucking_ dolphin."

The sheer utterance of such profanity surprised Alex, normally she wasn't one to swear, and he passed her a look of shock and surprise.

"I'm sorry..." she shamefully looked away.

"Don't be...it's not _your_ fault."

"No...it _is_ my fault. I couldn't keep myself in check...I screwed up and..." she shrugged, "I suppose this is my punishment."

"I love you," he suddenly said, "I love you more than anything else in the world..." he gently stroked the base of her dorsal fin, attempting to calm her, "You know that. Our prison sentence knocked some sense into me...and as silly as it sounds, I'm scared. I'm scared of getting in trouble again."

She smiled sheepishly, "As if it makes much of a difference, you two are fugitives now, and once they find you, they'll catch you again, probably for a much longer time. So who cares for a few more sins and broken rules. As long as we're here together, I want to take advantage of that. Yeah we might have to get a little creative since we have a bit of an obstacle between us but..." she shook her head, "You're my mate, I love you, and I _want_ for us to consummate our love."

"It's more complicated than that, Ruby," he replied, "You don't know how badly I want that as well."

"Then why don't you act?"

"Because I don't want to get in trouble again."

"We won't get in trouble!" she replied, "You're already _in_ trouble, technically speaking. There's more important matters troubling the world right now, such as Vergil and the rise of _Filios Diaboli_ , than two star-crossed lovers of different species sleeping together...and even if someone _did_ care about that, we're in the Gothics! Bestiality isn't a crime here!"

"Ruby..." he hugged her tightly, kissing her muzzle, "I love you, very much...but I just...I can't."

"Is there anything I can do to loosen you?"

He chuckled sadly, "Unfortunately, this is a personal problem that I'll need to resolve on my own. There's nothing you can do to help."

She sighed unhappily, a light squeak in her voice, and the Commander looked towards his mate, hurting to see her so depressed. Alex continued to stroke her side and back, "Please, Ruby...don't worry."

She nodded, looking towards her mate, defeat in her eyes, "I can only try...but you know how I am. I can't help it."

"What if I rubbed you off? Would that help?"

She shook her head, "A short-term solution for a long-term problem..." and she frowned, "I sound so pathetic...I'm sorry."

"You're not pathetic," he comforted, "I understand why you're afraid, and I really do wish there was something I could do but..." he smirked, "I'm a mess...even if we were able to do something, I doubt it would be a pleasant experience."

She smiled warmly and lovingly towards him, " _Anything_ with you is a pleasant experience."

He chuckled sadly, scratching her dorsal fin and gently resting his head on hers, "I love you, Ruby."

She smiled, her unhappiness diminishing into unfathomable love as she relished in the contact and closed her eyes in ecstasy, nuzzling her mate affectionately, "I love you, too, Alex."

As Alex stepped outside into Vernhelm, Terrias flagged him down, jogging up to him, "Yo, Alex, wanna go for a walk?"

In the wilderness outside of Vernhelm's walls, taking the two mile hike to the lake where they would go to fish over the weekends, the two close friends walked side-by-side down the frozen trail, snow drifting lightly from the dreary heavens. For several minutes, they enjoyed the scenery, until Terrias broke the silence, staring towards his feet, his paws in the pockets of his trench coat, "Will you hear me out about something?"

Alex replied, "Sure, what's up, mate?"

Silence hanged between them for several moments before Terrias began, "Listen, you know I don't like to preach, you know that I leave you to your business and your devices, that I'm not one to question your choices or beliefs..."

"And?"

"About your drinking problem..."

"Jesus Christ..."

"Listen, just hear me out, all right?" and Terrias paused in the tracks, grabbing Alex's shoulder and turning the Commander to face him. The servine looked almost pleadingly into his eyes, "You know me, you know that I'll stand behind you through hell and back...we've been through a lot together...but this obsession...this addiction..." he shook his head, "It's becoming harder to see you anymore...you hardly take care of yourself. You drink from the moment the sun comes up to the moment the sun comes down. We're getting worried about you, all of us."

"Did Cynder set you up to this?" Alex snarled defensively.

"She brought it up with me, but I was already thinking about it on my own. I trust you, y'know, I support you, I always have, I always will...you're my best friend...but you really should consider chilling out a little on the bottle."

Alex spat, "Why does it matter to you? Hell, why does it matter to _anyone_?"

"Because I love you, because Ruby loves you, because _Cynder_ loves you...Alpha cares about you, and you've been so out of it lately...I get it's stress but...please, there's other ways of coping then drowning yourself in the bottle. I never preach, I believe that everyone is entitled to their own thing...Christ knows I'm guilty of my _own_ shit, too...but I'm worried for you, I admit it. Perhaps I'm overreacting but..." he shrugged, gazing off into the distance, "We've all been under a lot of stress lately. I can't imagine what it's doing to you, but you gotta chill out."

The Commander was startled as Terrias wrapped his arms around the human and hugged him tightly, patting him on the back, "No bullshit aside...I'm worried about you, and I'm hardly the only one..." he broke the embrace, resting his forehead against the Commander's briefly before pulling back and continuing his stroll down the path, Alex on his heels, "We care about you, _I_ care about you, and your safety and well-being affects _all_ of us. Most of us worship the fucking ground you tread upon...to see you doing this to yourself...blaming yourself for the bullshit going on in the world, suffering in silent agony...it hurts us all," and one three-fingered paw slithered out of his pocket, wrapping itself around Alex's hand and squeezing it tightly, "Please take better care of yourself...if not for Cynder or me, then for Ruby?" they continued on in silence for several moments, "You're a fucking hero, an idol...and biased I may be, you're my best friend, and it pains me to see you like this. If you wanna talk it out with someone, I'm here for you, jut chat with me about it. Unlike Ruby or Cynder, I won't overreact and assume the worst, and unlike Pierre or Kira, I won't give you some bullshit response. I've always been completely and thoroughly honest with you, I've also always been attentive and receptive to your problems...understanding in ways that the others may not quite be capable of. So tell me, what's hurting you?"

"Many things," Alex replied submissively.

"Like?"

"Better question would be what _isn't_ bothering me, Terrias."

The servine shrugged, "Tell me the worst of it."

"Hell do I even begin?" the Commander responded, "Vergil, New Alexandria, Piermont's descent, Spyro's betrayal, Ruby's pregnancy, my desires to please her like I should conflicting with my irrational fears following our incarceration, this whole Messorem and apocalyptic bullshit...Zinnia's well-being...the international manhunt for our asses due to Deitus' breakout...the list goes on."

Terrias shook his head, "Why do you choose to fight through this alone?"

"Because it's my problem, it's not anyone else's."

"Alex...there's more to this army than you. This whole 'us versus them' mentality you've adopted as of late is just...I can't even begin to explain it. Your health, your sanity...it doesn't just affect you, it affects _everyone_ who calls themselves a Terminator."

"That isn't helping."

"It's the truth...and it's the honest-to-God, no sugar-coating, blunt-as-fuck answer. Raw and hard, _exactly_ as you like it..." he smirked, "Exactly as _I_ like it...Vergil? Y'know, we've dealt with apocalypse-level bullshit before, what with Mabao, Zack, Harbinger, Deitus...New Alexandria? We'll take it back, like we did when Jazz took it during the war, like we _always_ do. Piermont's descent? Well, I can't really help there. Spyro's betrayal? He stepped down, just get a new lieutenant commander and you'll be golden. Ruby's pregnancy? Pretty damn sure that Gabriel fellow promised it would go exactly as it's supposed to. Your newfoud morality conflicting with your carnal appetite? Who fucking cares, man? We're in the Gothics, nobody here's gonna give two shits that you have a hard-on for your pet dolphin. 'Sides, I thought you were the _big bad_ Commander Alex Vaughn who didn't give two shits for how people thought about him? Honestly, _relish_ in your relationship with Ruby, it's not illegal here, so you can enjoy it as much as you can, no strings attached. The Messorem and apocalypse crap...well, just get over it, like everyone else has basically done. Zinnia? She's a tough girl, she's fine, she'll hold her own. The manhunt for us?" he chuckled, "Alex, the feds are kinda understaffed following the Reapers, government is all but dismantled, and A: nobody knows we're out here, not even our allies, and B: even if the feds _did_ find out we were here, what the fuck are they gonna do? Launch a full-scale invasion to deport us back to the states? If I know Ulfric, he'll just give 'em a great big 'fuck you' and protect our asses. That's the kinda person he is, plus, we're living among nothing but friendlies. The Gothics are one of our strongest supporters, and they'll fight to their dying breaths to protect us from dangers...why else do you think Ulfric gave us this nice slice of land with no tax or strings attached, unlike the rest of his kingdom? Honestly, the only thing you're worrying about is trivial bullshit that you really don't need to be concerned about...we're _very_ well off, and the situation isn't _nearly_ as dire as it may seem."

Alex frowned, "There's more than just exterior threats...and my own internal conflicts extend beyond my fears of being intimate with Ruby."

"What more is there?"

"First, promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I go into these personal conversations with the preconception that what happens between us, _stays_ between us. That's how it always is."

"I think I'm going crazy, too..."

"What makes you say that?"

Alex shook his head, "Zack...I _see_ him all the time."

"What? Like he's haunting you?"

"No...he fucked up my mind, a-and having Harbinger up in there only made shit worse. I hallucinate him almost all the time now. He mocks and derides me...a-and I can't stop it! There's nothing I can say to get him to stop!"

"So we'll just put you on those pills again, that'll help your problems a bit...opening up to everyone, _at least_ those in your inner circle, will help, too. Alex...bottling this shit is _dangerous_ , drowning it in booze is only making things much, _much_ worse."

"I close my eyes...and I see the people I've lost...I lay my head down to rest and I hear the cries of people I've killed...I traverse through my sins every night as I try to sleep."

"You're a soldier, you've been for your entire life...so that doesn't surprise me in the slightest. You need to open up to at least _someone_ , if not me, then someone else who's close to you. You don't have to fight this alone." When Alex didn't respond, Terrias continued, "You claimed that the sole reason you didn't want to go to prison was so you could live happily with Ruby, mating her freely without fear of negative consequences...here's your chance, why aren't you taking it? You two want each other, you _need_ each other...don't torture yourself like this!"

"What do you suggest I do then?"

"You really want my honest opinion?"

"I wouldn't ask you if I didn't."

"Fair enough..." then, "If you want my advice...go to her and mate with her. I'm sure she'd be _more_ than willing to accept the offer if you posed it to her."

"Now?"

"When we get back to Vernhelm, yeah. It's pretty clear she's been wanting some love for awhile now, from what I understand it's been months since you two have had any intimacy. When we get back home, go talk to her, offer to mate her. I'm sure in the pleasure of your union, your little worries and fears will magically go away...as they always do."

"What if I hurt the baby?"

"There _are_ ways you can get laid without endangering her pregnancy...other positions aside from the standard guy-on-top missionary."

"I don't want to risk hurting the baby..."

"Oh for the love of Christ, Alex! Now you're just making excuses. Man up, grow a pair, this isn't like you. You need help, and given your typical stubbornness, what seems to define your sorry ass, you won't go out and seek it. Everyone here is worried for you, man...Ruby, Cyn, and I specifically...do us all a favor and _please_ find a way to get over this stress and go back to normal. You're unpredictable when you're like this...something nobody likes..." then calming down, "Listen, I know that Ruby has the uncanny ability to cure your suffering...given how much she loves you and how much you love her. If you're _really_ never planning on becoming intimate with her again—which is complete bullshit if you ask me—at the very least talk to her about all this shit you're going through. She's a lot tougher now than she used to be, I'm sure she can handle it. You two need each other, you help each other through hard times...just like you were there for her, it's time she's there for you. Just give her a chance, huh?" and without another word, Terrias clapped him on the shoulder, hugging him one final time before starting back towards Vernhelm, the Commander in tow, silence hanging between them for the entire trip back.


	4. Chapter III: Omniverse

_**Chapter III**_ **:**

 **-''Omniverse''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _22 May 2016_ -**

 **- _0720 Hours_ -**

Alex awoke to the beams of sunlight shining into his face. He sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and turned to face Ruby, smiling to see her curled into a tiny ball, sleeping soundly. As he did whenever he first awoke, he spent several moments looking towards his mate, overcome by an unfathomable love for the dolphin, something that no one else understood. She mumbled something in her slumber, shifting her body until she faced him, and his eyes immediately darted towards her genital slit at the base of her tail, swollen open to reveal the pink, pillowy flesh within, shiny and slick in the dismal light. A faint, red glow spread over her belly, a sign of arousal, and he wondered what she was dreaming. A certain lust overcame him, and his desire to mate with her once more found itself at war with his fear of discovery and punishment. He was angry, furious at the world for their inability to understand or accept him and Ruby together. They were lovers, deeply enthralled with one another, and while he saw the dolphin's humanity the rest of the world only saw her as an animal enslaved by a molester. His attraction to her wasn't even purely carnal either, the way her eyes sparkled when she saw him, the little blush and shyness she had around him, the way her body melted into his when he hugged her, and the cute little way she squeaked when he surprised her...all of theses attracted him.

She was as human as he, as human as the rest of the world, but they were blind, arrogant to think of themselves as higher forms of life than her while simultaneously decrying that she be 'protected' and 'rescued' from her 'abusive' kidnapper. They cried that he was a cruel, inhuman monster who took advantage of the creature's species' notoriety, indoctrinating her into accepting their relationship as love. The Commander scowled, and he once more found himself questioning why he was even bothering to save the world to begin with, perhaps it _deserved_ to die. He and Ruby had done nothing to wrong them, and instead of accepting the couple as different but deeply in love, the world instead decided to flaunt their ignorance by preaching of the young man's carnal crimes. Had Ruby's despair at his loss twice over not been enough to prove to them that their love and attraction was mutual? And now, because of the cruelty of the ignorant and the close-minded, Ruby was suffering yet again by losing one of the few things in the world she wanted...intimacy with her lover and savior. At least this time he was here with her, ensuring his presence, instead of trapped as some genocidal thrall or locked away in some desert prison far from civilization.

He had saved the world many times now, he was a hero to many people, and yet _still_ no one would allow him that which he desired most. What was the point in relieving the suffering of others when he was forbidden to relieve his own? Perhaps it was time that karma returned to bite everyone who had wrongfully alienated him and Ruby. The thought of allowing this to unfold, to watch as the world burned and to hear the cries of mercy and help in the throes of passion brought a wicked smile to his face. These corrupt thoughts were quickly driven off by a counter-argument from the logical side of his mind, _Would you let everything you've done, all the hard work you've committed,_ really _be undone? You have lost so much already...by letting it all end, you are throwing away the many sacrifices you and your companions have done...and the sacrifices your brothers have made—Crash, Cheet, Tails, Rudolph, Simba, and Cherub—will all be for naught._

Alex sighed, knowing that it was true.

 _What are you waiting for?_ Zack's cold, mocking voice asked behind him, _She's open and ready for you, dive right in, enjoy yourself! You deserve it! You've worked hard to earn her love, and now that she's all yours, shouldn't you be allowed to relish in the fruits of your labors?_

"I...I can't..."

"What's stopping you, Ali?" and Zack's usually malicious tone, that of his adult form that Alex had put down a few years earlier, suddenly devolved into that of a teen. Alex quickly turned to face the hallucination, seeing the boy standing there as Alex had known him during their tenure in _Devha_ , he was smiling proudly towards his friend, "After all these years, all the time and effort you have dedicated into finding your soul mate and winning her heart, she's here and she's yours. She wants you, she _needs_ you, she craves intimacy, so why aren't you going for it? Hell, I would."

"This is different, Zack," Alex replied, "The world doesn't see us as a couple."

"So? Since when has what everybody else thought mattered to you? Ain't that what you said?"

"I...I don't want to get in trouble again...I don't want to take the risk of _losing_ her again."

"The world doesn't give two shits about you and that dolphin. In case you haven't noticed, it's kinda ending right now, there's more important things to worry about. Who's gonna be here to catch you anyway? 'Sides, even _she_ said that you're in the Gothics and your relationship isn't frowned upon here."

"What if somebody finds out?"

"Who's gonna find out? It's not like you need to _tell_ everybody that you're back to boning your dolphin girlfriend."

"I just...it's hard to get in the mood when I'm paranoid that someone will find out and we'll be attacked yet again for our relationship."

"Think about it this way, Ali..." Zack sighed, nearly defeated, "Think about it how I did. Remember what I always told you when you questioned why I took every chick I saw to bed. Tomorrow, even later today, isn't promised. Life is short, fragile, and never guaranteed. Take advantage of the time you have together _now_ , because there's no guarantee that you'll be able to later. Especially in such dark times as these. She's your mate, you've fought to earn that title, take advantage of it. Do you really want to come back home tomorrow, or even later today, to find that she may have had a complication in her abnormal pregnancy and passed away? Or that Piermont, the rabid little cunt that he is, decided to go batshit and put a bullet in her head for carrying the _antichrist_ as he loves to call _your_ son?"

"Y...you're right..."

"Alex?" Ruby suddenly sleepily asked from behind him, "Is everything all right? Who are you talking to?"

Alex's eyes turned to face where Zack had stood, finding the apparition gone. After several moments of silence, he replied, "Nobody, just...talking to myself."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah, everything's fine..." and he turned to face his lover once again, smiling warmly towards her. She was still deeply concerned, but she did smile lovingly towards him, once more subconsciously rubbing her belly. He placed a hand on distended belly, warm and soft to the touch, and he began, "Ruby, I'm sorry..."

"For what?" she asked, smile dissolving again.

He shook his head, "For being too fucking cowardly to show you the love that you deserve."

She relaxed, visibly relieved, as if she had been concerned for something else entirely, "It's not the end of the world," she replied with a sad smile, "Well, it is but...yeah," and she giggled like a school girl, a warm tone that only fueled his love—and lust—for her. Without another word, his hand slid down to her genital slit, and he slipped several fingers inside. She gasped with a surprised squeak, and he lowered until he was beside her, closing his mouth over hers. Although he wasn't quite ready to mate with her again, the least he could do was relieve her own tension. She was quick to climax, and upon her genital muscles contracting and massaging against his intruding fingers, she squeaked abruptly with each jolt of shuddering passion surging through her body, breathing heavily, kissing him rapidly and violently. At last, her climax receded, and he finally broke away from her with a final, passionate kiss. Her eyes were wide with pleasant surprise and ecstasy, and she smiled widely, "Can we be mates again?" she squeaked happily.

He chuckled softly, "Maybe tonight..." and he stroked her snout, "But for now I gotta get going...you know how impatient Terrias can be..." he withdrew his fingers, coated with slime, and he only grinned, throwing an arm around her and embracing her almost furnace-hot body once more, kissing her deeply before climbing out of bed.

"Don't you at least want me to take care of you first?" she asked with a sheepish and seductive smile, and he could see that the blush on her belly was very strong, her slit was very well pronounced, bulging, and open, declaring that he still hadn't satisfied her yet.

"Save it for tonight," he replied with a wink, quickly dressing himself, gathering his things into a rucksack, and exiting the room.

Feverishly hot from his own unsatisfied arousal, he stepped outside into the bitterly cold morning, finding Terrias already waiting patiently at the door. "Bout time you showed up," the servine began, taking notice of Alex and standing to his full height, slightly shorter than the Commander himself, "Wondering if you had overslept again."

Alex shrugged, "Something came up..." and he raised a hand, still damp from his administrations to Ruby.

Terrias broke into a wild cackle, "Nice! Knew you two couldn't stay apart for very long...looks like you were long overdue."

"Yeah, no shit...and I _still_ didn't satisfy her yet...resigned to rub her off for now, the plan is to actually take her to bed tonight...we'll see how that goes."

"Shit, I'll cut our trip short to make sure that you can get back here early if that means giving you some time alone with her. You two deserve to be happy together...and I know you busted your ass to figure out this chick's identity, suffering daily until you finally met her..." then with a grin, "So, she take care of your horny ass, too?"

"Nope."

"Need me to help?"

Alex shook his head with a grin, "Nah, gotta save the bullet for tonight."

"Gonna be a big one I'm sure...think she can take it?"

"Fuck you," Alex replied with a laugh.

"Thought that's what your plan was for Ruby?"

"Shut up, man," the Commander responded in good humor.

Sailing in a small rowboat on a lake a couple of miles hike away from Vernhelm, Alex and Terrias listened to a small, battery-operated radio that Azazel and Nick had obtained during one of their rescue runs to New Alexandria while the two friends waited for fish to bite. Receiving signals from a pirate station somewhere out in the Atlantic, with no other source around, reception was shoddy at best, downright incomprehensible at worst, but was better than the maddening silence that would otherwise accompany them on these weekly trips.

"So I'm curious," Terrias finally began, leaning back against the side of the boat, drinking from a bottle of ale, "How the hell are you gonna fuck her? She's pretty pregnant right now, and I don't imagine it's gonna be very easy to find a proper position to mount her."

"How'd you mate with Aria?" the Commander replied, sipping occasionally at his own bottle of mead.

"Doggy style," the servine chuckled, "She's into that shit. Don't imagine you'll have the same amount of luck with Ruby...she don't have any legs."

"I'll make it work," Alex replied, "Or more accurately, _she'll_ make it work...somehow."

They were interrupted when the first largely clear song suddenly came on the radio, Gilbert and Sullivan's _Major-General's Song_. Alex adopted a cocky grin, and Terrias instantly shook his head, "No, don't you fucking dare, man. Please don't."

The Commander ignored his friend, singing along with the patter song, causing Terrias to merely lower his head with a sigh.

"Show off."

"Ain't that hard."

"Bullshit it is, song makes my head spin. Wish this station would stop playing it."

"I like it."

"Yeah? I don't."

"You don't like _any_ classical."

"I like classical, just not shit like these musicals."

Alex began to sing again, only for Terrias to groan in protest.

"Keep singing this damn song, and I won't worm the hooks for you anymore."

This instantly silenced Alex, and he relaxed back in his seat, "You bastard."

The servine grinned, "What? Ain't my fault you're afraid of a little worm. Ain't gonna hurt ya," and he reached down in to the bottom of the boat, pulling a nightcrawler from the mug and dangling it before Alex. The Commander responded appropriately to his paralyzing fear, hissing and slapping the servine's paw so the critter when flying somewhere into the bottom of the boat. Alex lost it then, quickly scrambling up onto the bench, rocking the boat and threatening to overturn it. "Jesus Christ! Settle down, man! It's just a fucking worm!"

"Fuck you!"

"You're gonna turn over the whole goddamn boat! Stop!"

"You're an asshole!"

"Take a joke, for fuck's sake!"

Finally, Alex managed to relax after ensuring that the critter was nowhere to be found. For several minutes, silence remained between them as Alex cooled down. When Haddaway's _What is Love_ reared its head over the radio, Alex joined in song, singing along yet again. Terrias grinned, turning to face his friend, who was bopping his head along with the rhythm, pointing towards the servine while he sang, serenading him. Terrias only shook his head, "Now you want to screw me? Thought you were pissed at me for the worm?"

"Suck me," Alex scowled, involvement in the song breaking as he returned his attention to the still water.

"Well...okay, but only if you get me first," and the servine shifted positions in the boat, unclasping his trench coat and spread his legs, exposing his cloaca.

Alex said nothing, only grinned.

"Well?" Terrias asked, "What are you waiting for? It's not gonna suck itself! Thought you wanted a suck? Gotta pay up first, don't make me coax it out for you."

"Me first."

"That ain't fair."

"Punishment for the worm joke."

Terrias released an exaggerated sigh as _What is Love_ turned into Creedence Clearwater Revival's _Fortunate Son_ , clambering over to Alex and shoving him back, unbuttoning his pants to expose his underwear, "Fine..."

Alex burst out laughing, swatting the servine and straightening himself.

"What?" Terrias asked, retaking his seat, "Man, stop with the mixed messages, you're confusing me."

"Thanks for the help getting these off, had to take a piss anyway."

"Can I hold it?"

"Sure, why not."

"Hooray!" and the servine was immediately on his feet, running over to the Commander.

Alex and Terrias strolled through the winding, dirt path through the taiga towards Vernhelm, their weekly catch in a bucket which the servine carried. The Commander walked just ahead of his friend, mind distant and pondering over a number of things, his arms tucked into the warm, thick furs of his cloak. Peculiarly, his thoughts revolved primarily around his past with Ruby, chief of these being pointless regrets for chasing her away all those years ago when she had only tried to protect him...

 _..."Can't you see I don't like you? Go away! Shoo! Get out!"..._

...He said nothing to Terrias about these bothersome memories, there really wasn't a point. It was simply strange that they were surfacing. He had redeemed himself already, and Ruby had long since forgiven him...had likely forgotten about that, too.

He shrugged it off as his mind desperately trying to accept his impending date with the dolphin—the girl he loved—that night. His and Ruby's past since she had joined Alpha Company was checkered and full of complications, but he believed this had only served to strengthen their love for one another. The more he thought about the night's plans, the more excited he became. Indeed, he and Ruby were free to love one another...at least for quite some time. They were already fugitives from the United States federal government, following the aftermath of the prison breakout, the Gothics were perfectly fine with their relationship, were allies to the Commander, and nobody was going to stop him. Even if the feds _did_ recover from the chaos and anarchy wrought by the Reapers, Deitus, and now Vergil, Alex was confident that the Gothics, or at least Tamriel and Rune, would _not_ extradite to the United States, especially after what the _Maxia_ and corrupt President Barry Mabao did to them during the Second American Civil War. Alex and the Terminator Militia were on very good terms with Ulfric, the current emperor of Tamriel, close enough that Alex dare consider the warlord as a friend.

Even if Alex and Terrias _did_ find themselves at the mercy of the United State's determined thirst for vengeance and justice, Alex highly doubted that Ruby would let him go again. The dolphin had grown significantly stronger and more self-respectful lately, thanks in large part to the help of her friend, a possessed, animated gargoyle and unofficial member of Alpha Company named Lucy. Alex humored himself with a mental scenario where he was confronted by a posse ready to take him and Terrias back into custody, only for Ruby to come to the rescue, tell off the feds, and make an example of them in a surprising display of her true, fully capable (though rarely used) power and strength.

"What's with the stupid grin?" Terrias asked, bringing Alex back from his fantasies and thoughts and down to Earth.

"Nothing," he replied, grin vanishing almost instantaneously, "Just...thinking about shit."

"Thinking about tonight?" the servine chuckled, grinning mischievously.

"Sure."

Terrias frowned, sobering, "You okay, Alex?"

"Yeah," the Commander replied in a distracted tone, "Just...losing myself in the scenery...good for relaxing my busy mind."

"Agreed," Terrias replied, holding one of his three-fingered hands open, watching the snowflakes drift and fall, collecting on his palm, "This place is gorgeous...even if it freezes my balls off."

"What balls?"

The servine only shook his head, refusing to say anything to feed Alex's wordplay.

"Reptiles don't have balls, do they?" the Commander continued.

"You tell me, you've seen the family jewels a few times."

But Alex didn't respond, only turned to face the winding road ahead, retreating once more into the depths of his mind.

 _..."Can't you see I don't like you? Go away! Shoo! Get out!"..._

A distant explosion startled both soldiers from their stroll, instantly putting them on high alert. Crouching low, they frantically looked around before diving for cover alongside the steep grade sliding down the mountainside into the flat, swampy landscape stretching for miles below. "The _fuck_ was that?" Terrias snarled, subconsciously reaching for where his SPAS-12 would normally be strapped.

"Not sure," Alex replied darkly, withdrawing one of the two swords at his waist his left, bionic hand, while reaching for the spear Kira had crafted for him, strapped across his back, and wielding it in his right hand.

"Since you _actually_ have a decent weapon with you," Terrias began, pulling his combat knife from the sheathe at his waist with his free hand, "You go first, I'll watch our six."

Alex nodded forward and crept out of cover, crawling prone into the middle of the empty road. The world had gone eerily silent, no animals could be heard, and even the howling wind, echoing off the plains and mountains, had gone almost completely silent.

"Don't like this," Terrias snarled, "World's too quiet."

"Stay close," Alex whispered, moving forward and into the thick forest, stepping carefully around felled leaves and crunching snow, moving towards the source of the sound. His senses on high alert, a few times he paused in his advance, crouching to the ground, placing a palm onto the frozen ground and expanding his mind for miles around, a gift of the mutation serum, trying to find any suspicious signs of life. When nothing caught his mental eye, mapping out the terrain in a chalk-like outline that scanned and pulsated around the surrounding environment, he continued forward, Terrias right on his heels.

Finally, they reached a strange sight. The trees appeared to have been incinerated in a wide, fifty-yard radius. The snow had melted, turning the ground in this sudden clearing into thick slush that sucked and pulled them down, making movement difficult. There were no signs of life in the area...or anywhere around even, with a few charred feathers raining down from the heavens, and a freshly-cooked elk carcass, burned completely clean down to the bone, laying in a smoking pile near the center of the unnatural clearing.

"What the _hell_ happened here?" Terrias asked, easing up, but still keeping his guard high. Alex relaxed as well, shrugging and trudged through the muck towards steaming carcass, kneeling beside it. The bone had been completely burned clean, completely dry and hot to the touch, bleached white from whatever heat had burned away the trees to leave nothing, not even a charred skeleton, in their places.

"Your guess is as good as mine..." Alex replied, "Whatever it is...it's not natural."

"You think _Filios Diaboli_ found us?"

Alex shook his head, "Negative...but this definitely wasn't here before."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Alex craned his neck to the sky, shielding his eyes against the bright, even if overcast, skies, "Could be another Beam opening up."

"Great...just what we need, a portal for our old friends in _Filios Diaboli_...is _nowhere_ safe from those bastards?"

"Welcome to the end of the world, mate," Alex replied crouching before the carcass again before, in the blink of an eye, an audible, electric surge shot through his body, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. He started in surprise, instantly going on the defensive before frantically looking around his environment, ready to attack anything that approached. No longer was he in Skyrim in early afternoon, instead he found himself in something that was almost a parallel to where he had been. The trees all around, despite apparently the same as they did before, were now gnarled, overgrown, and long-since petrified. The frozen ground had apparently thawed, although it was baked hard enough that one could almost not tell a difference. The temperature was unpleasantly warm, the world was incredibly _dark_ , tinted in a dark violet hue. Craning his neck once more to face the sky, Alex's jaw dropped as he saw a swirling, cloudy vortex, glowing a brilliant and bright mixture of white, purple, and blue. The void beyond was dotted with bright, colored stars and nebulas, as if _Aurora Borealis_ had been frozen in time. Red, green, orange, and yellow gasses streaked across the unnaturally large concentration of stars, with those brilliant, semi-transparent cloud cover swirling around a blinding white, glowing eye. "What the hell!?" Alex exclaimed, noticing that his voice sounded weird, echoed, almost ethereal, as if in a dreamlike state, "Where am I? What's going on?"

A very faint roar, like that of a massive but distant fire provided the only sound in the eerily still world, and for a moment Alex wondered if time had frozen. As he walked aimlessly throught the parallel and unsettling forest, he was suddenly alarmed by twisted, malformed, thorned branches and vines punching through the ground, weaving around the trees and trapping him in a small, circular arena. _You are in the Omniverse_ , a cynical voice spoke telepathically to him, each syllable of each word quaking the world and pounding his head with painful intensity, omnipresent and barbed, _Your tiny mind cannot comprehend its true form, so you are only seeing what it can perceive!_

Recognizing the harsh, accusing, feminine voice as the one that had lately been accusing him of instigating Armageddon, Alex bit back his own bitter malice and forced through clenched teeth, "Why did you bring me here!?"

 _You fool!_ the voice retorted, I _am not the one who brought your pathetic, mortal ass here! The Omniverse has chosen to finally summon you to answer for your crimes!_

"What crimes? What the hell are you _talking_ about?"

 _Just look and see!_ The voice hissed, and the vines directly before him slithered back into the ground, opening a predetermined path for him to follow. More vines and tangled branches provided an organic, intricately woven wall around his clear-cut path, guiding him somewhere unknown. Frightened but unable to fight back, finding that his weapons hadn't arrived with him and his mutation-granted powers were seemingly disabled here, Alex reluctantly followed the trail, shuddering as the thorned vines hissed and slithered at him, like snakes. Occasionally, in the skies above, massive floating islands of rock would slide past, and when he reached a ravine that cut through the forest, falling endlessly into the starfield below, revealing that he was on a floating island himself, those rocky objects floating about circled rapidly before him, building a haphazard bridge across the abyss, granting him passage even deeper into the surreal realm. Upon crossing to the opposite side, the bridge shuddered and collapsed, falling into the abyss with a deafening and startling rumble, like that of an immense, collapsing structure. When he finally reached the end of the island he had been on, another island, this one on its side, with the forest facing him, slid into view. More of the floating rocks formed another bridge, allowing him to cross, and upon reaching the other side, his stomach lurched as the _very world_ turned on its side, allowing him to walk upon the forested island as if it were on the ground. He turned behind him, deeply unsettled to see that the island he _had_ been walking on was now tilted to _its_ side, and the rocky bridge shuddered and broke, these stones slowly parting and sliding away, instead of falling endlessly into the void below.

"What is going on here?" he asked, "Why am I here?"

 _You fail to understand the severity of what you've done!_ the female voice returned, as bitter and malicious as ever.

"Hold up...what _I've_ done? The hell did _I_ do to anyone!? What the _fuck_ is going on here!?"

YOU _allowed Vergil to be released!_ YOU _allowed that damned creature to release the Alpha Breaker, to shatter the Greater Beams within the_ Inner Dimension _! And in doing so, you have damned us_ ALL _into oblivion!_

"I...I don't understand...none of this makes sense, I...I didn't do anything! I didn't _release_ Vergil! If anything, _Filios Diaboli_ did! We were called to grab some kind of fucking book and key that kept Deitus locked away...we had no idea that Vergil even existed!"

 _You ignorant mortal! It was the reformation of the_ Old Regime _that awoke Vergil from his slumber! Then, instead of stopping him, you're lack of proper judgment allowed him to steal the_ Sigil of the Bound _, then you let him obtain the_ Libro Morturom _, an already cheap and worthless fetter produced by you 'superior' angels, and it was_ YOU _who allowed him to release the Alpha Breaker into the_ Inner Dimension _! And now, thanks to_ YOUR _incompetence, the Greater Beams and even, now, the_ Lesser _Beams, are being shattered! The Omniverse is collapsing into the Base World, and_ YOU _and your infantile angelic hierarchy are solely to blame!_

 _Necrodusk!_ Alex pleaded, attempting to summon the shadow-demon for help, but there was no response. Alex was aware of the redeemed archdemon's presence, but it seemed as if the demon, too, had been frozen in time. "It's not my fault!" Alex exclaimed, "I'm just some dumb-ass soldier from the United States! I was _NEVER_ informed about _ANY_ of this shit! How was I supposed to know? Besides, this all happened on its own! We did _nothing_ to initiate it!" then, screaming out telepathically, _Necrodusk!? Gabriel!? For fuck's sake! SOMEBODY HELP ME!_

 _There is no salvation for you here!_ the voice hissed, _Your cries are lost to the void! You are in_ OUR _domain!_

"I don't even know who the hell you are!"

 _We are the masters of this realm, Omniversals, our purpose is to stop people like you, people who would tamper with reality, people who would unwind the very fabric with which the universe is built upon!_

"Omniversals?" and Alex was taken back several years, to when a collapsing universe—the very same that brought the Reaper threat to the Base World to _begin_ with—resulted in a deadly tug-of-war between the to 'capstone' universes: the Omniverse and the Base World. "Listen, whoever you are, you gotta understand, I didn't do anything! Or if I did, I sure as _all_ hell didn't know! Nobody tells me jack! Not angels, not demons, I barely fucking know what's going on!"

 _Right, and you've just been some celestial puppet, a pawn in the Maker's petty little game of Chess. This does little to support you, in fact, it only highlights your pathetic existence...blindly following orders by some self-centered, egotistical creature without so much as batting an eye. You really are an insult to sentience, a stain upon the immaculate fabric of time, a species whose long-overdue extinction is only postponed by sheer, dumb luck. Well, unlike your little gods and devils,_ we _have existence since time immemorial! Guardians of the Omniverse and the_ Greater Multiverse _, protecting it from threats like_ you _, like Vergil and the rest of his damnable species!_

"Listen, if there's something I have to do to get you off my ass, then just fucking tell me. Stop with the riddle bullshit, it's driving me fucking insane."

 _You are in no position to give_ us _orders, insect!_

Suddenly, a male voice joined the fray, this one sarcastic and mocking, _Viola, don't mind this petty creature, he is only proving his mindless enslavement._

"Listen..." Alex began.

 _SILENCE!_ the female voice, Viola, roared, interrupting him and quaking the earth—if it could be called such—and causing large sections of the forested island to collapse into the void, _You were not given permission to speak!_

Both voices then fell silent, and the vines blocking further advancement retreated into the ground once more, revealing an ancient, ivy-covered, stone bridge arching over the void. The next island was much smaller, and tucked between mighty, thick, and ivy-covered walls, broken and battered with age, was a strange, chapel-like structure. A massive beam of white light shot from the structure into the sky, specifically into the center of the swirling vortex, and Alex stepped gently onto the broken bridge. Large sections of it were missing, have long-since fallen through, the rest of it looked ready to crumble at any given time, and he had to constantly duck to avoid being decapitated by the rapidly swirling boulders around his head. When he heard an ethereal, inhuman roar—one he instantly identified as belonging to the Alpha Breaker—he hastily scrambled across the bridge and into the assumed safety of the ancient structure's ruined perimeter walls.

He hesitantly followed the battered stone path, through the overgrown and corrupted gardens and courtyard, and entered through the ancient, petrified oak doors into the keep. He was greeted by a vast, empty room, the only object within being the Beam firing from a glowing pentangle in the center of the floor. As he stood in place, staring strangely towards the peculiarly-shaped altar, in the center of the pentangle, from which the Beam seemed, the sound of the Beam, deafening and booming, struck his ears as if the world had just become unmuted. A haunting, hot, and howling wind, accompanied by ghastly, disembodied whispering and screaming emerged from the altar, and it sucked him towards it like a vacuum. He was brought to his knees, and screaming, he desperately clawed for something to cling onto as the Beam sucked him towards it with startling gravity. When at last he was swept up into the Beam, he was sent surging through the air, towards the sky, as if having entered some kind of gravity lift. He shielded his eyes against the blinding intensity as he was pulled into the eye of the swirling vortex, finding himself in an all-encompassing void for what felt like hours.

At last, the void suddenly gave away and he found himself passing _down_ into yet _another_ starfield, this one recognizable as the _Inner Dimension_ , and he looked towards where he had come, realizing that, despite having been sucked _up_ into the eye of the storm, and traveling in a single direction since, he had _actually_ , somehow, been sucked _down_ from the luminescent cloud cover that he identified as the Omniverse. Below, the Base World stretched endlessly below, and he could see thousands, if not millions, of the pillars of light, the Greater Beams, stretching on infinitely in either direction within the _Inner Dimension_. He finally stopped moving once he had reached almost the exact center between the Base World below and the Omniverse above, and he was now allowed to walk freely around, even though he couldn't travel up or down...as if he was contained within an invisible room. He couldn't pass through the wall of fog, out of the Beam, and into the _Inner Dimension_ 's void, and he rapped on the misty fall, finding that it felt as if he was smacking a glass window. The floor, too, felt as if it was made of glass, as did the ceiling...but all barriers were invisible, and this, along with the exact direction he had traveled in the Beam, disoriented his mind greatly, leaving him no choice but to ignore his pestering brain, attempting to find answers to this surreal landscape where physics did not matter, where reality and fantasy were _both_ nonexistent, as paradoxical as it was.

He heard the blood-chilling, ethereal, incomprehensible roar of the Alpha Breaker once more, and he curled into a ball from fear as the massive, highly intimating, eldritch, serpentine creature slithered past him, shattering the Beam directly behind him before flying off into the great unknown, disappearing around one of the eerily out-of-place, mossy, ancient, and long-decrepit stone towers that occasionally dotted the realm. To his horror, Alex watched as the luminescent, cloud-like Omniverse crashed down towards the Base World, warping reality itself. Like watching a wormhole closing, the two capstone worlds contacted with a loud, omnipresent sound, vaguely resembling the shattering of glass. Even from here, he could see countless Minor Beams keeping a very, impossibly thin air of space between the two capstones, keeping them from solid contact, and one-by-one, he watched as those tiny Minor-Beams, appearing little more than ants, winked out of existence at an alarming pace. Despite this, there were literally countless more still remaining, meaning that despite the rapid destruction of the Beams, it could be months, or even years, before they all vanished.

 _This is what Vergil is doing_ , the male voice spoke, sounding much less mocking and more graven, _This is what you have been made to do. The Base World and the Omniverse, must, absolutely_ not _make contact, for doing so will spell an apocalypse on a scale like that of which you will never even_ begin _to imagine. The result of the Omniverse and the Base World making contact is something that no mortal mind, and few immortal minds even, can comprehend._

"Who are you?" Alex asked.

 _You may call me Vigil, for my true name is one your mind cannot comprehend._

"And Viola? Who is she?"

 _My sister_ , Vespar replied, _Although its difficult to call us that, as to say we are siblings implies that we have a parentage, which we don't. We weren't born, we simply_ are. _We have existed since before the dawn of time. Even the God of creation is but a babe compared to us._

"Are you a multiversal, too? Like Vergil?"

 _No, we are Omniversals, think angels to multiversal's demons. But as opposites, we are not of 'good' and 'evil', or 'light' and 'dark' we are beyond such classifications. It was thought that the multiversals were extinct, made to cease existence by my sister and I long ago...but Vergil, somehow, escaped. Your God's prophecy has awoken the beast, which is why my sister accuses_ you _for this, although I can see that you aren't_ entirely _responsible, you are merely following your predetermined destiny blindly, like a sheep to the slaughter. Destiny..._ he scoffed, _Another concept that is beyond comprehension for us, something that's inherently pointless. We have always been, and we will always be, until the Greater Multiverse reaches its conclusion, during which we will cease to be, like every other being tethered not to the fetters of fate, which is why it confounds me that Vergil is so determined to bring about the end._

"Perhaps you can help us," Alex proposed, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? We want Vergil dead as much as _you_ do."

 _Vergil cannot be slain, he can only cease to be_.

"Still...you know how to do that, maybe we can help each other to work towards a common goal, huh?"

 _It is an insult to our existence to cooperate with such lesser beings as gods and their creations...but we may have little choice in this matter. If Vergil is allowed to continue unrestrained, we will reach the event horizon, the point where the collapse is too far gone to be halted...with great reluctance, I nevertheless agree that this situation calls on our intervention, which is precisely why I am speaking to you now._

And Alex cried out, falling back as a flash of light temporarily blinded him. When at last his vision returned, he was frightened to find himself hovering in the sky above the Gothics, growing ever closer to the ground. However, he landed smoothly and gently upon the frozen wasteland, now late in the night, around midnight by the position of the waxing, crescent moon. A bitter, biting chill was in the air, the icy wind hurting the Commander's eyes, nose, and throat.

"Let us just hope that your comrades are as understanding of the situation as you seem to be," Vigil spoke physically from behind Alex, and the Commander fell back as he turned to see the man standing there, statuesque, staring into the distance. He was tall, unnaturally thin, with very pallid, tautly-stretched skin, long, dark, raven-black hair, and heterochromial eyes: one red, one blue, both displaying an alarming wisdom and intelligence that was almost inhuman. His features were partly effeminate, however, making it difficult to determine his sex, if he even _had_ one. He wore a long, fur cloak, not unlike Alex's, although his was much older, made from the coarse fur of some ancient, long-extinct and long-forgotten species.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Viola's bitter voice replied harshly, and in the blink of an eye, the other twin appeared beside her brother. Her features were frighteningly similar to Vigil's, but not quite familiar enough to be considered twins. Like her brother, the features of her human form were virtually sexless, giving them both an unnatural, uncanny appearance that was too uncanny to be real, but too real to be artificial, dipping severely into the uncanny valley. Also unlike her 'twin', her eyes were both of the same color: a deep maroon. Both stood tall, their posture perfectly erect, they walked stiffly, and almost seemed to slide across the ground. Given that both wore identical cloaks that dragged across the ground around them, Alex couldn't tell if they were walking on their feet...or if they even _had_ feet to walk on.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Alex began beneath his breath, "I have a _lot_ of explaining to do...I don't even know how I'm gonna word what happened to me."

"They will understand," Vigil replied, "Or they won't. Regardless, they must realize the severity and urgency of the situation."

Alex smirked, "Yeah...kinda got that already..." then with a sigh, beneath his breath and more to himself than either of his ghastly companions, "Ruby's gonna be pissed...broken promises yet again."


	5. Chapter IV: Orientation

_**Chapter IV**_ **:**

 **-''Orientation''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _14 June 2016_ -**

 **- _0715 Hours_ -**

Alex gently wormed his way out from beneath Ruby and sat up in bed, yawning and blinking at the beams of sunlight shining through his window. His eyes turned to face the sleeping dolphin, and he smiled towards her, remembering how sweetly she had treated him the previous night, she had gone out of her way to make it one of the most well-paced, greatest nights they had ever shared together, doing things that she normally didn't do to ensure that it was memorable for long after the pleasure had receded. He lightly stroked her sleek, gray body and she breathed slowly and softly, a very faint, barely audible whistle in her exhales. Kissing the top of her head, Alex stood up, dressing himself and stepping outside of his longhouse, walking down the stone steps to the already bustling settlement's square. Spyro, shopping for groceries from the traders, sent a brief, distrustful glare towards Alex before walking back to his hut at the edge of the shopping district. The Commander only shook his head with a sigh, having given up worrying about the dragon's loyalty for the sake of the young man's own sanity. A split had been apparent in Alpha Company for several years, and it was slowly getting wider and more pronounced as time went on. Spyro had slowly become guarded towards Alex, had even renounced his position as the Commander's second-in-command, placing the position onto Piermont's shoulders. That was one person who Alex worried about...Piermont was a wild card, was getting even more unpredictable and dangerous. He posed a direct threat to the safety of Ruby and their unborn child, and Alex had told his mate a number of times to stay as far away from him as possible, which she happily obliged to.

Alex returned to the present upon sight of the dragon himself walking around the square, seemingly without any mission. The Martaanean Forest Dragon was in his commonly used human form, depicted as a Caucasian male of average build and height. His skin was pale, even more pallid than usual, illustrating that he had been spending more time inside than normal. He wore a pair of black slack and a plain white t-shirt, both appearing as if they hadn't been washed in days. His unzipped, studded, black leather jacket and black combat boots were scuffed and torn, he wore sunglasses over his eyes, despite the overcast skies, hinting that he may have been walking off a hangover. His normally greased-back black hair was in wild disarray and unkempt, growing down to his shoulders, and a self-rolled cigarette smoldered between his lips, dozens others tucked away in an old Marlboro Red box in his front pocket. As he stumbled past Alex, he didn't even seem to see the Commander, and Alex was horrified by how the dragon looked. It had been weeks since Alex had seen the maddened dragon, and as Piermont wandered by him, the young man could hear the dragon rambling incoherently beneath his breath. Only on word could be comprehended: 'Antichrist', and Alex assumed that this was a knock towards the Commander and his mate's fast-approaching child, carrying the reincarnated soul of Archdemon Deitus, and who Piermont had been referring to repeatedly as the 'Antichrist'. Several times, Piermont had demanded that Ruby consider aborting the child she was carrying, citing that in the apocalyptic scenario they were already facing against Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_ , knowingly birthing the reincarnation of one of the most powerful demons in the history of mankind was the 'ultimate sin'.

Piermont had become increasingly religious as well, when he wasn't drunk or blasting others with his zealous faith, he was poring constantly over his rarely-used copy of the Bible, studying Revelations and whatever apocalyptic books he could get his hands on. Even the thoroughly religious Rapid, an officiated reverend, was disturbed by Piermont's zealotry and borderline cult-like behavior. When the dragon _was_ seen in public, he would preach to anyone in the settlement who would listen that Ruby was the 'Whore of Babylon' pregnant with the Antichrist himself. He would cite passages in the Bible describing the beast itself, providing 'evidence' that these illustrations defined Ruby almost perfectly. Similarly, Piermont was attacking Alex directly, claiming that if Ruby was the Whore, and Deitus was the Antichrist, then it would only make sense that Alex was the Beast himself, especially given the nature of Ruby's unnatural and unholy pregnancy, with Terrias being cited as the Beast's 'False Prophet'. Despite his defaming accusations, most of Alpha Company seemed to write him off as an outspoken, harmless antagonist, especially considering that Piermont had been slowly and not-so-subtly slipping into madness ever since Alex had been presumedly killed by the Reapers. With Cherub's—Piermont's mate—death at Deitus' hand, the last shackles of sanity had seemed to be shaken loose from the dragon, who had already been holding on by a mere thread.

While Piermont continued to be ignored, he became increasingly reclusive, violent and unpredictable when he _did_ leave his corner of isolation. In truth, Alex was deeply worried over Ruby's safety, and although he would never tell her of his fears over what Piermont would be capable of the more the dragon was neglected, Alex privately promised himself that he would never leave the dolphin alone for any length of time. He had confided his fears to Kira, Dash, Rapid, Cynder, Tiberius, Athena, Terrias, and even Azazel, and they had all promised they would make sure the dragon never harmed her. Terrias, although understanding of Piermont's worries over what a reincarnated Deitus could do and the danger he posed, was far from preaching the violence that Piermont craved. Once or twice, Terrias did admit to Alex that he should consider abortion as an option, and talk it out with Ruby, although he would not take a stand one way or the other, acknowledging that the decision was entirely up to the two mates, and how he would stand by his friend's decision regardless.

Perusing the traders' stalls, Alex watched from the corner of his eye as Piermont wandered away, returning to his hut, and he breathed as sigh of relief. "Everything okay?" a voice spoke from behind him, and the young man turned to see Sapphire standing beside him. The bull dolphin, larger than Ruby despite his relatively young age, had flesh a brilliant blue in color, granting him his name. He was old friends with the dolphin cow long ago,and had been one of the few creatures to take care of her during the days before her mutation. At first, he had held a bitter resentment and envy for the female's love for the human Commander, but had since, with some coaxing and persuasion from both Alex _and_ Ruby, had accepted the female's choice of a mate. Behind Sapphire, Azazel and Nick trotted along with another host of refugees behind them.

Alex shrugged, "Me personally? I'm doing...although I'm worried for Ruby."

Sapphire frowned, "Complications with the child?"

"No...I'm afraid of what Piermont will do to her."

"Has he made a move against her?"

"No, but he's completely unhinged, I've asked Ruby to stay inside for the remainder of her pregnancy, with the vain hope that as long as he doesn't see her, Pierre won't snap completely," then, "So...any word on Zinnia?"

The dolphin bull shook his head, "No, we still haven't been able to find her."

Alex's mood sank.

Noticing this, Sapphire placed a comforting fin on the Commander's shoulder, "Don't worry, we will find her, I promise."

Alex sighed, then, "Well...you might wanna go see Ruby, she'll be happy to see you're back."

Sapphire nodded, "I will."

"Is there anything you need me to bring back?"

He shook his head, "Not that I'm aware of, anyway. I'll see you later, Alex."

"You, too, Sapphire," and the Commander watched his former rival head back to their longhouse before returning his attention to the stall.

It didn't take long before Terrias called over to the Commander, sprinting towards him, "Hey, Alex, guess what?"

"You're horny again?" Alex smirked.

"How did you know? Anyway, guess who's barking up our ass again."

"Who?"

"The Jarl, he's pretty pissed we _still_ aren't paying taxes, and he's threatening to send an army of guards here to have us arrested."

"Fucking hell..."

"That's exactly what I said...any ideas?"

"He don't have to send the guards to us," Alex growled, "We'll just pay him a little visit ourselves."

"Want me to round up the others?"

"We don't need _everybody_ ," Alex smirked, "Round up maybe ten or so of Alpha to come with us down there...but I suggest staying away from Pierre."

"We gonna take Ruby with us?"

"Of course, I'll be damned if I'm gonna leave her here alone with him...or anyone in Alpha that I've since learned not to trust. And if you see the _Nighthawks_ , send them here, gonna make sure everything's clear for us _en route_ to the city."

"Rog," Terrias replied with a firm nod, heading off, and Alex purchased some fruits, jogging back to his longhouse.

With Kira, Azazel, Tiberius, Athena, and Sapphire staying back with Cynder to keep an eye on Ruby, Alex headed off with Terrias, Jazz, Eli, Rocket, and Dash towards Whiterun, the Commander himself riding upon the pegasus' back. To his left, the large, human-sized, anthropomorphic rabbit Jazz rode upon a black mare. To Alex's right, Terrias, riding upon a chestnut stallion, and Rocket—a bipedal, cybernetically-enhanced raccoon and the newest member of the Terminator High Command—rode upon a pinto mare directly behind the Commander. Behind and off to the right from the raccoon's position, Eli rode upon a chestnut mare, wearing a long, Indian poncho over a hide suit of armor, his crossbow hanging on his back, almond eyes constantly scanning the horizon from beneath his long, dark hair, searching for any sign of trouble. Far back, riding in a straight, horizontal line and sticking towards the treeline, the black body-armor clad _Nighthawks_ , anthropomorphic, reptilian slaves that Alex had liberated from this very province a number of years earlier, hiring them as his personal guard, rode upon their black horses, overseeing the group.

"So what exactly is goin' on?" Rainbow Dash, a rainbow-maned, cyan-furred pegasus, asked her mate.

"Something about the Jarl bitching about us not paying taxes," Alex snorted.

"Great...just what we need, more problems."

"Shouldn't have any problem with it," Terrias chuckled, "We're exempt from fees and fines by the order of King Ulfric, and if the Jarl don't like it, he can kiss our asses."

"Anything to get a little extra coin in the greedy bastard's coffers," Shahvee, one of the _Nighthawks_ and the only female member of the group, said over the radio.

"Naturally," Jazz replied, "But we'll convince him to back down, shouldn't be any problem. These cunts don't pose any threat to us."

"You sure about that?" Rocket asked, "I mean, seems every time we get cocky, karma comes back around and bites us in the friggin' ass."

"Although Tamriel _has_ been progressing technologically since Terminator occupation," Alex began, "They're still far behind what the rest of the world is capable of, let alone the _Maxia_."

"What do the _Maxia_ have to do with all of this?" the raccoon asked.

" _Maxia_ funded the Imperials," Terrias chuckled grimly, "Supplied them with Cryptonite."

"The hell is Cryptonite?"

"An anti-mutagen," Jazz replied, "The shit that the _Maxia_ poisoned their rounds with...enabling us to harm and kill a Terminator mutant."

"Oh...great."

And silence fell before the group as the mighty, scarred walls of Whiterun appeared on the horizon. As soon as they crossed out of the forest and into the open, flat plains, illuminated a dreary gray from the overcast skies, from which a faint snow lazily drifted down, Alex raised a hand to halt their approach. "All right," Shahvee began, "We're going to advance and find a good position to provide overwatch, we'll let you know when it's clear to advance."

"Got it," Alex replied.

"Why the extra precautions?" Eli asked, "Thought you said we can take these fuckers on?"

"We can, or so we assume," Alex replied, "But I'd rather not take the chance, especially since most of the world wants our heads on a pike."

At the all-clear from the _Nighthawks_ , Alex's party continued through the field, following one of the trio of creeks that snaked throughout the field towards the moat that encircled the city's walls. After a few minutes of argument with the guards, the gates reluctantly opened to allow Alex's team into the bustling city beyond. As the party traveled throughout the city towards the distant palace, all eyes were upon the visitors, and Alex, trusting his mate enough to ride bareback without any grip to stay mounted, kept one hand—his bionic one—on one of his custom-forged twin swords, the one on his right, still sheathed at his waist, while his free, right hand remained laying across Dash's crest, gently patting her.

Jazz snorted, mouth contorting into a grimace, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a very bad feeling."

"You aren't the only one," Terrias replied, maroon, catlike eyes darting around, "Something doesn't feel right here...fur on the back of my fucking neck is standing on end...I don't like it."

Alex tapped his earpiece, "You guys see anything off?"

"No," Shahvee replied, "Everything looks clear."

"Keep a close eye on things...something doesn't feel right here."

"Here we were thinking that was just us..." then, "Be careful down there."

"If something even looks _slightly_ off, keep us updated."

"Of course."

As Alex's party approached the palace, guards were following closely behind, clearly suspicious of the soldiers. "Got the feeling that we're not wanted here," Terrias chuckled, "Shit, half-tempted to give them a reason not to want us here."

"Don't cause a riot yet," Alex replied, "Not until they give _us_ a reason to attack."

Dismounting their houses and tethering them to the supports of the bridge leading over the moat dividing the palace from the rest of the city, a guard grabbed Alex's forcefully by the shoulder and tossed him back, "Who are you?"

"We're here to pay the Jarl a visit," Alex replied bitterly.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Nope," Alex replied with a smug grin.

"Then you don't belong here," and the guard ripped his sword from the sheathe at his waist, getting into a fighting stance, "Leave here at once!"

Instantly, Alex's party had pulled their own weapons on the intruding guard, who took a few steps backward, "We're not gonna hurt anybody," Rocket replied, the only one there with a firearm, drawn and centered on the guard, "We just wanna have a little chat with the Jarl."

"At least take your horses back to the stables, they don't belong in the city."

"Yeah...nah," Rocket chuckled, "Ain't gonna stay for long, now why don't you head on your way."

Exchanging anxious glances with a group of other guards that had arrived to supply support, he reluctantly sheathed his sword, saying, "Fine, but we are escorting you to him directly."

"Fair enough," Alex replied, nodding for his group to ease their weapons.

Once inside the palace, Alex led his party towards the main hall, where the Jarl himself was chatting with one of his servants, eating at the head of the table.

"Howdy," Alex said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat at the table, instantly drawing distrustful glares from the others seated, silencing their conversation. As he prepared himself a plate of food and began to eat, the others adopted looks of disgust and irritation.

"Who are you?" the Jarl asked.

"What's wrong?" Alex replied with a chuckle and a mouth full of food, "Don't remember me? I'm the motherfucker that you bastards tried to kill a few years ago. Oh, and the guy who made a little camp in the center of town on our advance to the Imperial City in Cyrodiil."

"Right...the crazed, bestial battlemage."

"Hey! I take offense to that," Alex replied, "Anyway, so I thought I'd have a little chat with you, mate. Ya know, about the fact that you're trying to tax our little camp just north of here. Not sure if you got the memo, but Ulfric has us exempt from that, due to our role in the liberation of the province."

"This isn't Ulfric's realm, this is mine," the Jarl replied, picking his teeth, "The Stormcloaks dealt a lot of damage to our fine city...we need all the gold we can to pay for what they did to our city and our people. I hope you would understand that."

"So threatening to send a posse after our asses is your definition of 'understanding'?"

"Most animals will not listen to reason and will thrash out without a show of force. We were merely taking precautionary measures."

"Animals, huh?" Alex chuckled, "The thing about wild animals..." and Alex cocked an eye towards Rocket, who was reaching for his pistol, "Even when cornered, they won't go down without a fight. Now, I'm not looking for violence, but we don't have the money or resources to pay a tax...and our home here isn't permanent, it's only until we can build a force large enough to take our _actual_ home back from the bad guys who jacked it."

"Well you might as well find a way to start earning some coin, if you intend to stay here for anymore length of time, Alex's arrogant grin slowly diminished as the Jarl smugly drank from his mug, continuing, "There's plenty of work for a beast like yourself, there's quite a number of families in the area that would _love_ to have a new pack mule."

A shot cracked through the air and the Jarl's mug exploded in his hand, showering him with liquid and shards. He swore and rapidly shot up, drawing a dagger. The others at the table took up similarly offensive positions, and the guards that were blocking access to the palace's doors had also drawn their weapons. Rocket chuckled, spinning his pistol, "Go on ahead, see what happens. You pull that shit, and not a single one of you morons is gonna get out alive."

"Leave my court," the Jarl hissed, barely managing to contain his anger, "Or I will have every single one of you bastards executed!"

"Go ahead and try, pops," Rocket hissed, "I'm gonna have fun putting a bullet in your goddamn head!"

"Rocket," Alex roared, "Stand down!"

"Why? They're pissin' me off!"

"You're High Command, you're better than this."

"Fine," the raccoon snarled, "But we don't do somethin', and we're gonna get chased out of our only friggin' home!"

"Here's the deal," Alex began, "You exempt us, and we won't step on your goddamn toes, deal?"

"I said get out!" he roared, "This is your final warning! Guards!"

As the guards approached Alex's party, the Commander stood up, stretching and casually approaching the door, shoving his way past, "We'll take our leave now, but if I seen any one of your goons approach our walls, I'm capping them, that's a promise."

Shoving themselves through the door, they reclaimed their mounts, with Alex clambering on Dash. As they rode through the city, heading back to the gates, Alex was suddenly aware that townspeople and guards were following them from a distance, wearing blank, almost dazed expressions. "Why the hell is everyone here stoned?" Eli asked.

"I don't like this..." Jazz said, "I've got that feeling again..."

"Everyone's looking strange down there..." Shahvee said over the radio, "You're being followed..."

"Yeah, no shit," Jazz replied.

"Alex," Shahvee continued, "You have several guards approaching you, weapons drawn, at your seven! Get out of there!"

Upon this announcement, a roar of fury emerged from behind them, and Alex barely had time to turn and fire a shot into each of the two attacking guards' chests before he roared for his unit to run. Upon the crack of Alex's Desert Eagle, splitting the eerie, unnatural silence lingering over the town, the rest of the guards charged towards the unit, breaking into a wild sprint towards the gates. Dash barely managed to dodge out of the way of a swing from a guard's battleaxe, and Alex swore as he buried the blade of his sword into the guard's chest. The crack of sniper rifles split the noonday air as bodies fell all around the encircled unit from the covering _Nighthawks_. It wasn't until several mangled corpses stood back up off the ground that Alex realized something was _very_ wrong.

With a disgusting gargle, black mist spewed from the bodies, the corpses collapsing instantly afterward as the mist took form, revealing _Filios Diaboli_ 's shadowy, skeletal soldiers, known as Shadow Knights.

"Fucking hell!" Jazz swore, "How did Vergil find us!?"

"Better question, how the hell did they get through!?" Terrias hissed, cutting down several enthralled guards in one fell swoop of his blade, "I thought they can't get through the ground!"

Cutting down anyone in his path towards the city gates, Alex sent out a frantic, telepathic call for help to the others of Alpha back in Vernhelm. He and his small party were ill-suited to take on _Filios Diaboli_ in such overwhelming numbers, given the shadow knights' singular weakness to fire. Even a master pyromancer like himself couldn't hold back the overwhelming numbers. Digging into whatever advantageous position they could obtain over the shadowed soldiers, Alex's party had a few brief moments of respite before another wave of _Filios Diaboli_ reinforcements arrived on scene. Ultimately, they were pinned down in the center of the market plaza, encircled on all sides by enemy forces who were quickly tearing through their hastily established defenses and closing in on them, and exhaustion began to settle over them from the onslaught. At last, reinforcements arrived...but not from Alpha Company. An icy blue blur zipped around the party, cutting down the shadowed knights with surprising efficiency, and before Alex knew what was happening, he saw an unknown character standing before him: a bipedal, anthropomorphic, icy blue-scaled dragon, a little taller than Alex himself, with black feathers upon its head in place of spines, ram-like horns protruding from its skull, ice-blue eyes, and a light-colored belly. It wore only a loin cloth around its waist, as black as night, and wielded a green-bladed _flamberge_ , glowing with veins signifying fire enchantments. "Come with me if you want to live!" it roared in a feminine voice.

"How do I know you're not with them!?" Alex roared.

"Because I'm the only one _willing_ to save your sorry ass! Now let's go! _NOW!_ "

An explosion sounded from the lower floor of the house Alex's team had closed themselves in, and they could hear furious, guttural roars of thralls and shadow knights charging towards the stairs.

"Hurry! We don't have much time! Do you trust me?"

Realizing he had no other option, Alex reluctantly submitted, grabbing the dragoness' extended paw and allowing her to pull him onto his feet.

"Now listen and listen closely! Follow me and I'll get you out of here!"

"Can I at least have a name?"

"Ember," she replied in her obviously female but yet peculiarly deep voice, "Now save the queries for when we get out of here! Come with me!" and she ran towards the window, busting out the glass and mantling over the sill onto the overhang above the front door.

"Where the hell did you _come_ from!? How did you know to find us?" Jazz asked.

"As I said," Ember roared, "Save the questions for later! Right now we need to get you out of here before those demons catch you!"

Now back on the streets, Ember guided them through the legion of _Filios Diaboli_ forces, cutting down anyone in her way with a skillful swipe or stab of her enchanted _flamberge_ , causing them to explode in smoke on contact. With an unnaturally guttural roar, an enthralled guard leaped from the second-story window of one of the city's inns, pouncing upon Ember and clawing at her relentlessly, drawing blood. The dragoness merely kicked the man in the stomach to stumble him, thrusting her blade deep into his stomach and pulling upwards, unzipping his torso and showering her in rotted, liquefied gore. Unfazed at the fact that her shining, blue scales were now a deep red, almost black, in color, she kicked the corpse aside and hopped once more to her feet, swiftly slicing three attacking shadow knights in half.

"Keep up!" she snarled.

At last, they found themselves at the gates, and they took a brief respite to catch their breaths. Wearing a grimace, Ember attempted to bust through the locked gate, but to no avail. "Can't you fly?" Alex asked.

"My species doesn't fly," Ember replied, "Don't let my wings deceive you, they can't support our weight."

Alex peered at her folded wings, noticeably smaller than what he would have expected from a dragon her size. The membranes, lightly colored, were shredded and torn at parts, and he also noticed scars covering her body, although not _all_ of them seemed to be from battle. "Okay," Jazz snarled, shoving Alex aside and stomping towards the dragoness, "Before we keep blindly following you, tell me who the hell you are and what the _fuck_ you're doing here!"

"You know," she replied off-handedly, still trying to figure out how to get through the door, "A simple _thank you_ would suffice."

"Sorry, but blindly trusting strangers tends to come back and bite us in the ass," Rocket replied, "Now, who are you?"

"This must wait."

"Bullshit," Jazz replied, "I want answers!"

They were interrupted by another wave of thralls crawling out of the shadows around them, forcing them into extreme close quarters combat. Ember dodged a swipe from one of the enthralled guards, thrusting her sword into the man's torso, but before she could turn her attention to her next assailant, another guard's blade buried itself within her thigh, and she cried out, doubling over. Alex quickly slayed the guard, helping Ember to her feet again. With a bloodthirsty roar, and a cry not unlike that of an eagle, Kira swooped down from the skies, skillfully cutting down several of the guards with her spear in the process. Soon after, Spyro and Cynder arrived on scene, engulfing the area in flames, "Just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Spyro grunted, "Even with a simple mission like this?"

"Fuck off," Jazz snorted.

"Who's the dragon? Another girl for your ever-growing harem?"

"Screw you," Alex hissed, "She got here to save our asses before _you_ bastards did."

"Well sorry, but we were in the middle of something, and we live quite far away."

"Stop fighting!" Jazz hissed, "Jesus fucking Christ!"

Rapid cast the rabbit an alarmed look, and Jazz muttered a barely audible apology beneath his breath.

Once the _Filios Diaboli_ ambush had been slain, Cynder rammed the gates, opening the way for them, and the party immediately made a break for the wilderness, hoping to get out of the area before more enemy forces arrived. "Where's Ruby?" Alex asked.

"Zaz, Fox, the raptors, and Sapphire stayed back to keep an eye on her," Cynder replied, flying alongside the racing Dash, unwilling to leave her comrades behind to take to the wing, "Don't worry, she's safe."

"And Piermont?" 

"Haven't seen him all day, probably locked himself in his house again."

"Good."

Back in Vernhelm, Cynder and the rest of the rescue party offered to stay on guard to ensure they had truly lost _Filios Diaboli_ while Alex's party relaxed after the close encounter. Alex and Kira helped Ember back to his longhouse, pressing a dingy cloth tightly against her bleeding wound.

Upon entering the building, they found Ruby sitting before the hotly burning fire, Tiberius and Athena sleeping, tangled together, on the floor before her. "Who's your new friend, Alex?" the dolphin asked, and although she said this in a friendly manner, Alex could detect a hint of something else, perhaps jealousy or concern, in her voice.

"Someone who saved our asses," Alex replied.

"What happened?" the dolphin asked, suddenly worried, and Tiberius opened one bright eye, staring towards the Commander.

Alex debated on whether or not to admit to her what he had discovered. On one hand, he hated lying to her, especially since she always found out and would feel betrayed by him. On the other, she tended to overreact, and given how stressed she already was with Piermont after her and the baby, their sudden eviction from New Alexandria, and her pregnancy in general, he didn't want to give her something _else_ to worry about. Eventually, Alex surrendered and told her the truth about what he had encountered. Much to his surprise, the dolphin didn't seem to be affected, and didn't even seem surprised.

She sighed, "Guess it was only a matter of time..."

"I would stay on alert," Ember said, "We drove them off for now...but it's only a matter of time before they come back."

As Kira patched the she-dragon up, Alex asked, "So who are you again? How did you find us? How do you know about _Filios Diaboli_?"

Ember smirked, "Well...I'm an Axalian dragon, a civilized race of dragons hailing from the land of Alagaësia to the west. We were a race that tasked ourselves with lorekeeping and archival of old legends and mythos, serving under the lordship of an ancient, fallen archangel. Before I had to leave my home, we had been told that prophecies were going to be fulfilled soon, and that we had to let ourselves be guided by fate. For years I've wandered the land, communing with nature and being guided by my destiny...which drew me to that city, and in good time, too."

"Let me guess," Terrias smirked, "Was that ancient archangel named Messorem? Or perhaps Messoremel?"

Ember stiffened, "The true name of the Archreaper? You know him?"

"Yeah," the servine continued, "Alex here is Messorem's reincarnation."

"Really?"

"Aye," Alex replied.

"Have you found Vitamel then?"

"Right here," Ruby replied with a light, bemused whistle.

"I see..." Ember replied, frowning, "Then we're closer to Armageddon than I originally thought."

"Yeah? No shit, Sherlock," Jazz snarled, "What gave it away? Was it the glowing fucking Beams dotting the world?"

"Be nice, Jazz" Rapid answered, sipping at a cup of apple cider.

"Well...I for one am glad you showed up," Alex replied, "Without you, we would have been done for."

"Hey Alex," Spyro smirked maliciously, "Your boner is showing again."

"Unless you want to take it, I suggest you shut up," Terrias replied, stonefaced, and the others of the team, even the thoroughly religious Rapid, could barely contain a grin.

"Well," the Commander continued, ignoring the purple dragon, "You're welcome to stay as long as you need."

"No worries," Ember replied, "I won't stay long, my destiny calls elsewhere."

"You're not gonna stay?"

She shook her head, "No, my destiny isn't here," she replied, "As much of an honor as it is to be in the presence of the Archreaper himself, I know that I don't belong here...I need to keep journeying. Who knows though, I feel like our paths may cross again."

"Can you at least stay the night?" Alex asked, "My son makes an _amazing_ lamb stew, and we're having that for supper tonight."

Once more, Ember shook her head, "No, I have a mission that I must achieve. I appreciate your hospitality, but I must be going soon."

"At least rest for awhile?"

Ember sighed, "Perhaps I can, but I must leave by nightfall."

"Fair enough," Alex replied with a nod, then, "Hey, Ruby, where _is_ Zaz by the way?"

"He had to make a trip to the market," the dolphin replied, "He'll be back soon."

"Can I get you anything else?" Alex asked.

Ember shook her head, "That isn't necessary, I'm fine, but thank you."

Before too long, Ember was sleeping soundly on Alex's bed, as if it had been many years since she had slept comfortably. The others gave her privacy, and Alex sat in a rocking chair on the wooden porch just outside of his longhouse, sipping from a bottle of mead and staring out over the settlement below. "I'm surprised," Spyro snorted, stepping outside and approaching Alex, "Thought for sure you'd have tried to seduce her. Kinda sexy, has a wild sort of flair about her."

"I've been controlling myself," Alex replied, "After I got between you and Cynder, and lost Sarah, I've been trying my best to contain myself. Besides, I don't even really _know_ the girl, she saved my life, I'm thankful for that...is it wrong for me to like her only for that?"

"Sure didn't feel that way when you boned Kira though, huh?"

"First off, you weren't even there, asshole. Second of all, Kira was...a unique circumstance. It was either sex her or death, so of course I'm gonna sex her. It's not like she and I have done anything else since."

"Yeah? And what about Ruby, you been neglecting her, too? Because I've seen you, your interests are veering away from her and towards Zinnia."

"You don't know shit," Alex hissed, "There was something else that got between Ruby and I, not related to another woman. Even then, we just had some private time last night."

Spyro scoffed.

"You know, I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, but you better settle the hell down, I'm tired of your bullshit, mate."

"Sue me, I don't give a damn anymore. Ever since Ruby joined the scene you've been a soft, vulnerable little prick, quite frankly, you're endangering this entire fucking army."

"And what would you know, huh? Once upon a time, you'd go through hell and back, endangering anyone and everyone, just to ensure Cynder's safety. What happened to those times, huh? Now you beat her within an inch of her life and treat her like absolute shit!"

"She's a whore," Spyro roared, "I regret ever letting her _around_ you. I've seen how much she actually cares about me...she cares more about _you_ than me!"

"Maybe because I don't treat her like some goddamn punching bag?"

"You don't know what's going on between us."

"Yeah? You don't know what kinda shit I got going on in _my_ life either, so fuck off. Jesus Christ, I thought we were friends."

"Yeah? And I thought I could trust you."

"Listen, I dunno what the hell I did to make you feel betrayed, but the _least_ you could do is _talk_ to me! What's gotten into you, man?"

"Same could be asked of you."

"There you go, dodging my questions again, you're an asshole."

"Guess it takes one to know one, huh? Piermont's right, you _are_ pathetic anymore. What happened to the badass Commander Alex Vaughn, who would do anything to ensure that his army reigned victorious? Now you put _us_ on the backburner, _we're_ second priority to that fucking glorified fish of yours!"

"Maybe because I _love_ her? Funny little thing that love is: putting someone else's safety and well-being over yours. This army is fully capable of taking care of itself, Ruby...I'm still trying to instill in her a sense of self-worth and self-respect, to toughen her up."

"Whatever happened to your old philosophy of 'sink or swim'?"

"Yeah? I tried that...guess what happened the last time I did? Terrias got sliced and diced by Jazz and was sent to fucking Hell."

"That was his _own_ damn fault. But after Terrias you seemed to just stop holding people responsible for their own mistakes. After him, you've been like some stupid bird who's too goddamned scared to let her precious babies leave the nest. When Ruby joined the picture, what little credibility you had left was compromised. Sorry for actually giving a shit about this army."

"If you actually gave a shit, you wouldn't have stepped down and piled even _more_ stress on us."

"Oh, so this is all _my_ fault then?"

"No, but as long as you keep pointing fingers and falsely accusing me of things I didn't do, this viper is gonna keep snapping back."

"Yeah? The only _viper_ that seems to be doing any thinking is the one between your legs!" and with this, Spyro stormed towards the settlement.

Taking another sip from his bottle, Alex only sighed, saying nothing. Shortly after, Cynder joined him, "I feel so bad for Ember, it's like she hasn't had a good night's rest in years."

Alex said nothing, only continued drinking.

"You okay?" the she-dragon asked, nuzzling her mate affectionately.

"Just fine," Alex replied bitterly.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

Alex said nothing for several moments before finally, with a sigh, saying, "I'm just a giant fuckin' screw-up..."

"What happened?"

"Spyro."

"What did he do now?"

"Nothing really...just...being Spyro. What happened to him, Cyn?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, I've been wondering that myself...he used to be so kind and loving...so caring...I don't know what happened, but I miss him. He's like a stranger now..."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine enough..." Cynder sighed.

"What are you gonna do? He's still your mate..."

She smirked, "Not anymore, unless he changes his ways."

"What about Terra?"

Cynder frowned at the mention of her youngest daughter, still living with Spyro, "I want to get her out of that house...she deserves better than that."

"Has he hurt her?"

Cynder slowly shook her head, "He is always gentle around her...even when he had just hit me not a few minutes earlier..." then, "I wish he would go back to being the dragon I knew and loved..."

"Is it my fault?"

"Your fault for what?"

"Turning him into that monster he's become. I got between you two..."

She smiled sadly, "No, it wasn't your fault. Like I said when you and I first spent that sweet night together, my species is polygamous...even then, it was Spyro who insisted that you and I spend the night together," she grunted, "Now look, I've lost both of my mates...I guess karma came back and bit me huh?"

"You still have me...just because we don't enjoy mating pleasure anymore doesn't mean that you've lost me."

She sighed, "I suppose you're right."

Several moments of silence passed between them before, "I'm here for you...and if there is anything I can do to help...all you have to do is ask."

She hugged him, kissing his mouth lightly and wearing a relieved smile, "I know."

"And who knows?" Alex chuckled, "Maybe if you're feeling particularly lonely one cold, winter night..."

She giggled, "I love you, Alex."

"I love you, too," he replied, hugging her once more.

As night fell over the forest, Alex stepped back inside his longhouse, surprised to find Ember awake and preparing to leave. "You're not going to stay?" the half-drunk Commander asked.

"As I said before," the dragoness replied, "My destiny lies elsewhere," then, "I appreciate your hospitality, but I have overstayed my welcome."

"You don't want to stay to at least ensure that your wound doesn't get infected?"

The dragon said nothing, only exited the longhouse into the bitterly cold night, illuminated in an emerald hue by the glowing _Aurora_ in the skies above.

"So this is goodbye then?"

"For now," she replied, "Take care of yourself, and may your path shine bright."

Alex said nothing, clambering onto the ramparts of the settlement and watching as the she-dragon disappeared into the dark, silhouetted, forested horizon. With a sigh, he headed back towards his longhouse, letting himself inside and stumbling towards his room. Before entering, he paused in the doorway, turning to face the floor beside the fire's hearth, where Cynder lay asleep, curled into a small ball. He smiled affectionately towards the dragon, finally entering his quarters, quietly closing the door behind him, and crawling into bed with Ruby, already fast asleep.

The next morning, Alex was called to meet with Sam O'Malley in his small shack at the edge of the settlement, just inside the wall. The young, collegiate Irishman was sitting at his desk, pouring over a stack of notebooks upon the Commander's entry, sipping from a cup of coffee by candlelight. "You needed me?" the Commander began, taking a seat in the chair across from Sam's desk.

"Yeah," he replied, "Ya don't think we could find a way to route Wi-Fi out here do you?"

"Doubt it, we're in the middle of fucking nowhere...welcome to the Gothics."

"Well, I've reached a dead end in my research...or rather, I've run out of shite to study...if you want me to find anything else, I need Internet access."

"Well, you know anywhere that could be safe to go? Somewhere that Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_ can't reach."

"I got a place," Terrias suddenly spoke, and Alex abruptly turned to find the servine leaning against the doorway, eating an apple, "Remember where your ex went to school?"

"More-or-less," Alex replied, "Why?"

"Well..." he shrugged, "It's up in the mountains, sure the ground's got a pretty thick limestone layer, impenetrable by _Filios Diaboli_."

"Yeah? How do you suppose we're gonna get over there."

"Well, it _is_ midsummer, surely there's Summer classes going on or something. Might be too late to get him enrolled there by Fall, but we still might be able to find someone who can take him in."

"Who? I doubt anyone will let a complete stranger stay with them."

"Well, if I were a dumbass collegian, I'd let just about anyone stay in my dorm, just so long as they buy booze and cigs. Worse comes to worst, doubt the frat boys will take much convincing."

"What about the fact that we're fugitives and the feds are still hunting us down?"

Terrias shrugged, "Guess you have a point there...but maybe we don't have to actually go down there? We can give your old gal a call on one of our satellite phones, she might be able to help us."

"I don't like that idea."

"Then I'll call her when I get back home. If we can get him there, we can set a predetermined time for him to call us with updates so we don't have to keep our phones on and can conserve our battery life, go from there."

"And if an emergency happens and he needs to get in contact with us immediately?"

"We'll figure that out if my plan works."

The High Command emerged over the skies of Coulson, North Carolina, a small college town located high in the Blue Ridge mountains. Stretching almost endlessly below were miles upon miles of forests and foothills, and Alex whistled, "Damn, haven't seen a view like this since before the _Fiernes Curtain_ went up.

Piermont, upon whom Alex was riding, said nothing, only stared blankly towards the skies ahead. The Commander cast a nervous glance towards the rear of the group, where Ruby was struggling to remain attached to Cynder's scales, and briefly Alex grinned at the thought of how the poor she-dragon felt, being strangled by a heavy, pregnant dolphin. He hadn't originally wanted to bring Ruby down here, or anywhere outside the safety of Vernhelm for that matter, especially considering that Piermont was traveling with them this time, but she had insisted and practically strong-armed him to come, so he had let her, albeit with much reluctance. The others of the High Command—or at least those that sided with Ruby in this little cold war—clustered around her, guarded against Spyro or Piermont, should one of them make a move against her and her unborn child. Neither of the two bull dragons seemed to care about her, both lost in their own little worlds, hardly seeing the endless foothills below even. The temperature was moderate, thankfully not too hot, and the Commander—a staunch hater of the bitter coldness of Skyrim anyway—was glad to finally get out of the endless, year-long winter, if even for a little while.

Allowing his mind to relax for awhile, Alex's thoughts casually turned towards the dragon-girl who had saved his life in Whiterun, Ember. A certain familiarity lingered around her, making him question as to whether she held a purpose in Messorem's _Old Regime_ , at the same time, there was something else about her, as if he hadn't actually met her, but had _heard_ of her. He wondered if Tiberius had said something about it, and then it hit him. Long ago, when he was still enthralled by the Reaper Armada, he distinctly remembered a dragon-girl they had captured, a dragon that matched Ember's description. He faintly recalled, through the feverish memories of his time as the Reaper general Thanatos, that Ember had escaped, along with Tiberius and Athena. He wondered if she remembered him, perhaps giving reason as to why she seemed rather guarded against him and so quick to leave. With a sigh, he returned to the present, concentrating on the still, smooth winds ahead. There was not a cloud in the sky, the sun was shining brightly, beaming down upon the Commander's shoulders, clad in the ancient, charred, black armor of the Archangel Messorem.

"Sam, you sure you wanna do this?" the Commander asked the young Irishman, riding on Piermont's back behind him.

"If you want to find a way to stop Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_ , then yeah. Trust me, I'm about as psyched for this as you are, but it needs to be done."

"Fair enough..." Alex replied, turning his attention back to the skies ahead. In the distance, he could just barely make out their destination, resting upon one of the mountain peaks. The Commander tapped his earpiece, "Yo, Terrias, what do you know about this place?"

"Old place, built in the mid-1700s, started as a private Christian academy until they nearly ran out of cash and had to take government handouts in the late 1800s. After that, it's just been a gradual spiral into...well...this: one of the most liberal schools in the country, but it's mostly occupied by your typical Southern Democrat. Expensive to go to...we're talking like four, even five digits depending on program, but there's a lot going on here, it is its own little self-sustaining community. Temperature is mild, weather can be bipolar, and it's built on a limestone foundation...perfect for keeping _Filios Diaboli_ out. Not a giant limestone slab like Tamriel is, but enough limestone that _Filios Diaboli_ will likely not be bothered to try and get through, even if we were there with him."

"Were you able to secure a contact to get him a home here?"

"Well...Freshman Orientation is going on this week, and I was able to route tuition from one of our offshore accounts to pay for late—very late—registration. Sam can finish his education on a free-ride, the only recompense is that he keeps on his studies of all that _Filios Diaboli_ bullshit and reports to us weekly. I've already set a time where we'll have our phones on and we expect a report."

"Excellent...how's he gonna defend himself being out here all by his lonesome."

"Managed to smuggle in some weapons, a Desert Eagle, a SCAR-H for _big_ emergencies, and a SPAS-12 with Dragon's Breath rounds. Shit's expensive, so don't squander them. He's got enough ammunition across all three to hold off a small army, so it should be all good."

"They expecting us?"

"Yeah...about that...they know they have a new student comin', but they don't know who he's with or what we're bringing with us. Figure you all like scaring the living shit out of people everywhere you go so...you're welcome."

Alex grinned, "I love you, man."

"Yeah, you owe me a kiss all right, maybe a good fucking, too."

"Tongues?"

"Of course."

The High Command landed in the heart of the college: a circular, brick plaza surrounded by trees, gardens, and benches, with an immense fountain set in dead center of the area. There were a few groups of people here, all having expected, frightened reactions to the sudden appearance of the _Commander's Wing of Dragonriders_. Alex hopped down from Piermont's back, helping Sam down before the dragon took on his human form, sticking a cigarette between his lips and striking a light. Alex lit his own cigarette, using a summoned flame in the palm of his hand, and chuckled, "Shit, I never get tired of that."

Once they had stretched their legs and recovered from the flight, they began following the signs posted around campus guiding them to the location of the orientation. "This place is beautiful..." Cynder began, glancing around in awe, "I love how they took advantage of the natural backdrop and played to it. Also love that old-timey feel, it's like going back in time..."

"Welcome to the original thirteen colonies," Alex chuckled, "Lotta history in these states."

"Let's agree to eventually head back to the 1700s, maybe live a few days in the past, huh?" Cynder asked sheepishly.

"And fuck shit up? Sounds fun..." Alex sighed.

"Not always, we didn't mess up anything when we went back to grab Sapphire."

"Yeah? But we fucked some shit up when we went back to grab Ruby's mom. I don't like the 50/50 chances of changing history, so I vote against it."

"Jeez, you're no fun."

"Sorry sexy, 'fun' isn't in my dictionary."

Spyro grunted, "Unless it's of the sexual variety."

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad."

"Bullshit! You've got a fucking addiction."

"Boys, stop fighting," Dash chuckled, "There's enough of Cynder to go around."

Spyro hissed, "He can have her, I'm not interested anymore."

The she-dragon stopped dead in her tracks, deeply hurt by the purple dragon's bitter statement. Alex held back until she caught up, even with the others continuing forward unabated. He hugged her, kissing her mouth and saying, "Don't worry, he didn't mean it."

Cynder shook her head sadly, "He did..."

"Regardless..." the Commander smiled, "I still love you."

She smiled warmly, nodding slowly, "I know," and they continued forward, Alex resting his arm around her neck, pressing her tightly against his body.

The party managed to slip, unnoticed, into the auditorium where the introductions with the upper staff were currently going on. As Alex forced his way to a corner of the seating area large enough to accommodate all of them, a few people shied away from the animalian members of the High Command, and the grin on the Commander's face only widened. An hour passed, and once the initial programs had completed, the audience was organized into groups and dismissed to tour the surprisingly expansive yet close-knit campus. By now, almost nobody paid any attention to the animals walking alongside the battle-scarred, armor-clad young man, and those who did resorting to private whispering among themselves. Once in their selected group, all eyes turned towards the High Command, and their host, a young black man, taller and thinner than Alex, with long, shoulder-length dreads and an intelligent air about him, only shook his head, asking, "Well, I can surely say that I've never, in my life, seen a group like this before."

"Surprise," Alex replied, "The Terminator High Command tends to impress everybody who meets us in person...many think we're just a myth, a story, kinda funny actually."

"Yeah, I've heard about you, all right," the man began, shaking Alex's hand, "Name's Jamal Wallace, My psychology professor loves diving into your head, Commander Vaughn. You're a legend in that field, kinda like the Holy Grail."

"Dunno whether to be impressed or offended..." Alex replied, "Definitely never heard that before."

"Nah, don't mean for it to sound offensive, just sayin' that psychologists really love to pry apart the inner workings of your head, try to figure out why you do what you do and so on. Former child soldier, boy genius, makes a huge name for himself, creates a serum that revolutionizes and forever changes the concept of warfare, then turns around and uses that to surround himself in a bunch of mutated animals, whom he proceeds to have...relations...with. Not even going into detail on all the wars and battles you've fought. Ended up doing my Junior project on you."

Alex grinned widely, "Bet my trial was entertaining, huh?"

The man nodded, "Yup, we watched that stuff live in Doctor Khalil's class. Thought you were in prison?"

"We were...then the bastard who terrorized the world last year, the demon everybody was talking about, he broke us out and Terrias and I lived beneath the radar for a few months."

"Would love to read an autobiography..." then, "You joining us this year?"

"Negative," Alex nodded towards Sam, "But a friend of ours is. We've got bigger problems and...well...schools not really for us. With all the shit going on in the world, we don't have time for classes, so it's just a waste of money, in all honesty."

"Ah, makes perfect sense..." then to the rest of the group, "All right, I think we can go so...let's head on out, I'm starving."

The first stop on their tour was the campus cafeteria, filled to the brim at the height of lunch hour. The building was two stories, with the bottom floor dominated by various restaurant booths. The second floor was more of the school cafeteria, with five kiosks, each with different themed foods such as deserts, American grill, homecooked meals, international, and the like. "Jesus..." Alex began, "This place is busy."

"Well it _is_ lunch time."

"As weird as it is, kinda like culture shock. We've been spending the last six or so months living in the medieval Gothics, now we're stateside and I forgot what it was like to be in a modern, first-world country."

"Guys moved out of New Alexandria?"

"We lost it...to the demon that terrorized the world last year's best friend."

"Oh crap, sorry to hear that."

"We'll take it back...eventually."

After lunch, they were taken on a tour throughout the rest of the campus, introduced to the individual buildings and given a brief rundown of what classes and a student's daily life were like. After this, the group met with their guide in the center of the campus, in the plaza that the High Command had touched down in earlier, and Alex's party soon found themselves the center of attention once again. "Ya know..." Terrias began, observing the various groups whispering among themselves about the soldiers' presence in the area, "Perhaps it was a bad idea for Alex and I to come here...feds are still after our asses after all."

"What are they gonna do?" Rocket asked, "Arrest us? You all know they can't hold us even if they wanted to. 'Sides, worse comes to worst, we head back to the Gothics where they can't reach us."

"Okay," Jamal began, calling order as the sun began to sink in the west, beyond the green mountains surrounding them, "That's it for today. There's a party going on in the University Center, free food, drinks, and games, it's really fun and I highly suggest you check it out. I'll see you all back here tomorrow, got it?" and with the agreement from the rest of his group, the young man headed off, the group dispersing. The High Command remained in place, with Terrias asking, "So...now what?"

Alex shrugged, "Up to Sam, he's the one coming here."

"I'm going to the party," the young Irishman replied, "Free food, drink, and games? Well, hell yeah!"

With a shrug, the High Command followed Sam towards the University Center building, just beyond the plaza, past an old clock tower. The skies above began to darken as the sun shrank ever smaller, vanishing beyond the horizon, alighting the forest in a hue of orange and red as if it were engulfed in flame.

In the center, the High Command parted ways, with Alex holding at the back of the crowd, wanting to explore the bottom floor. The party was occurring on the third story, where receptions were primarily held. The first floor, like the first floor of the cafeteria, was home to countless restaurant fronts, currently closed and gated. The second floor held various offices for the student body to ensure smooth, cultural blending as well as the campus' mailroom. "Missing college?" Cynder asked, suddenly appearing beside Alex.

The Commander shrugged, "Kinda...it was a fun time, I admit."

"You know, what's stopping you from coming back here? Maybe once everything is cleared with Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_ we can all come here together."

"And do what?" Alex smirked, "I don't know what the hell I want to major in."

Cynder shrugged, "Few people do when they first start off."

"Yeah...I suppose so..." then, "Shit, man, this place is so much nicer than Parkview."

"Well, Parkview was a community college, this is a university, and one of the better ones in the country at that."

Alex paused in front of the multicultural office, staring at his reflection in the mirror situated within the window. It was the first time that he had actually had a _chance_ to view himself, and he realized just how inappropriate and misplaced he appeared. His dark brown hair was long, greasy, and tangled upon his shoulders. His goatee was unkempt, his face was stained with dirt, and his cold blue eyes were sunken deep within his sockets. His reflection was alien to the Commander's eyes, he appeared almost barbaric in the mirror, suiting well with the proud warriors of Skyrim. He smirked coldly, turning back to face Cynder, who was staring at him with a concerned expression, head cocked to the side, "You okay, hon?"

"Just fine," Alex replied, "Been awhile since I've looked in the mirror...that's all."

The she-dragon chuckled, and with a sly wink, said, "Well, if you _do_ decide to come here, may I suggest a haircut, a good night's rest, and maybe a thorough scrubbing?"

"Shut up," the Commander replied, smiling widely.

"Make me," she retorted, sending him another sly, slightly seductive wink.

"Yo! Alex!" Terrias called, sprinting up to them, "There you are!"

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"Go fetch your girlfriend."

"Which one?"

"Who do you think?"

"What's Ruby doing this time?"

"Singing karaoke."

Upstairs in the makeshift dance room, thoroughly drunk from cheap mixed drinks at the bar, Ruby had made her way towards the front of the room, singing along to Black Eyed Peas' _My Humps_ , booming over the radio...or at least trying to.

"Ruby!" Alex called, shoving his way towards the front of the crowd, "What the hell you doing, mate?"

"I love this song!" she exclaimed, "Normally I don't listen to this kind of music but...I love it!"

"Nice, now get down from there before you embarrass yourself!"

"Aww...but I'm having fun! It's been far too long since I had a chance to relax and just enjoy myself."

With an exasperated sigh, Alex clambered up towards her, grabbing her by one fin, adorned with a steampunk-style gauntlet obtained from the Gothics, and dragging her down, back through the crowd. He pulled her aside, "Ruby, the point is to stay on the down low, we don't want the whole fucking world to know we have people down here!"

"Why not?" she replied, "Sam isn't doing anything wrong!"

"It's..." he groaned, "It's not that Sam has done anything bad...but between the feds trying to find Terrias and I and Vergil dicking around the world hot after our asses, rousing attention is the _last_ thing we want to do. Besides, I thought you wanted to kinda hide away from anyone who wants to hurt you and our son...like Piermont or Spyro."

Ruby, eyes alight with a lustful glimmer, giggled, "I don't see them anywhere around."

Alex sighed, shaking his head, finding himself unable to stay irritated at his mate and her incorruptible innocence. "C'mon," he said, grabbing her lightly by the fin and leading her out back into the hall.

"Oh! Are we going to bed?"

"No, but I _am_ getting you out of here."

Strolling lazily through the campus, now thrust entirely in night, Alex began, "Ruby...you need to be careful. It's far too dangerous to be doing stupid shit like that."

"Come on, Alex...what's the point in living if you're just gonna be living in fear? I feel better than I have in years...at least let me enjoy this while I can."

"Ruby, you're drunk...at the very least, that's not healthy for the kid."

"You know," and she stopped in her tracks, pulling him aside, "It's nice to loosen up a little sometimes...I'm always scared or nervous or some stupid thing like that. Right now, I'm enjoying myself, I think you should, too."

"It's hard to enjoy myself when we're wanted men and every other fucking person in the world wants your head on a stake."

She shrugged, "By the time anybody who threatens us finds out where we are, we'll be long gone. Let me enjoy myself, please?"

Alex pursed his lips, trying to find something to say. As strong as her points were, his paranoia would not ease his mind.

"Now come on," Ruby replied with a loving smile, "It's a beautiful night, we might not get one like this for a long time...let's enjoy it to the fullest, huh? Are you with me?"

"Ruby..."

"Don't 'Ruby' me, come on, please? For me?"

"What even is there to do?"

She giggled, stroking his chest, "I can think of a few things..."

"It's too dangerous."

"Come on, live a little!"

"Ruby, I..." but he was abruptly silenced as she pounced upon him, knocking him to the ground and kissing him. He squirmed beneath her, managing to overthrow her and roll until he was on top, "Don't do this, Ruby...come on, have some self-control."

"I will..." she giggled, smiling widely, eyes sparkling, "But only if you mate with me."

Alex firmly shook his head, "No, ain't gonna happen."

She frowned, "You're no fun...at least rub me off?"

"No."

She sighed, a light, disappointed whistle in her tone, and Alex sat up against the brick wall of one of the raised gardens encircling the fountain, staring out over the campus beyond. Ruby squirmed into his arms, pressing herself against his body and resting her head on his shoulder, emitting a satisfied squeak. In a low voice, Alex began to sing her favorite song, Chicago's _You're the Inspiration_ to her. Her body warmed considerably against his own, and even in the faint, dismal light of the moon and the street lamps occasionally dotting the paths, he could make out the glowing red blush of arousal across her belly, her genital slit glistening wet and open in the moonlight. She reeked of alcohol, but he ignored this, knowing very well that Ruby had tolerated intimate proximity to him after a night of heavy drinking. The longer her arousal remained, unsatisfied, she became more playful and teasing, and Alex allowed himself to entertain her. Eventually, she beckoned him to catch her and began to run off into the moonlight. With a bemused sigh, Alex stood up and jogged after her. She soon slipped into the shadows, disappearing into the night, and the Commander paused in his tracks, rapidly glancing around to find her. Out of nowhere, he heard her whisper, "Got you!" from behind, and before he could react, the dolphin tackled him from the back. They both hit the ground, rolling in a tangled ball down the small incline until coming to rest at the bottom, Ruby standing over him, passionately kissing him once more, rubbing herself against, "Not fast enough!"

Her bright, innocent blue eyes shined with an unfathomable love in the moonlight, and Alex couldn't help but to smile, pulling her head close and kissing her back. They held each other there, kissing passionately, stroking each other, enjoying the embrace of a lover, unaware that, across the campus, laying prone atop a fire escape on one of the old dorms, a fierce green eye peered at them through the lens of a scope, loading a fresh clip into a modified SCAR-H. The unseen foe, obscured by shadow, grinned maliciously as he aimed towards Ruby's head, "Time to die, bitch..." he muttered in a low, unrecognizable voice, and the first shot rang through the air, alarming both Alex and Ruby. "Shit!" the sniper hissed, taking aim once more. " _FUCK!_ "

"SNIPER!" Alex roared, forcing Ruby upright and shoving both of them into cover behind one of the raised gardens, just as another shot rang through the air, send a plume of dust and concrete chips raining down upon them from the brick wall.

Ruby wore a horrified expression, attempting to speak but unable to formulate words, breathing heavily, panicking.

"Stay calm!" Alex roared, peering out from cover, only for another shot to narrowly miss his cheek, spraying more dust into his eyes. "We need to get to the dorm! Shit...all right, on the count of three we run as fast as we can, ready?"

She nodded abruptly.

"One...two...fucking hell... _THREE!_ " and upon this note, they sprinted towards the only open dorm on campus, down the hill and across a parking lot. The unseen sniper's shots rang through the air, following them on their approach as they snaked in an out of the tree-lined sidewalk, the full moon casting eerie, leafy shadows upon the concrete. Just as they were about to reach the door, another shot blew out the glass from the window just above it, and Alex leaped back into cover behind a wall supporting the hill. "Ruby! Stay low!" the Commander exclaimed, out of breath and in a panic, "I don't know where that fucking bastard is..."

Anxiously glancing around, Ruby poked her head up trying to locate the sniper, and another shot broke the nighttime silence. She screamed and squeaked in pain, and Alex suddenly felt a hot, sticky fluid splash onto his bare back and neck, where Ruby had torn his shirt off in their passionate kisses. He rapidly turned around, eyes widening as the dolphin fell to the ground, bleeding profusely from a freshs wound in her belly. The bullet had tore through her chest, just above and to the right of her naval. She was breathing heavily, in shock from the attack, and Alex, voice hoarse from the shock, lifted her over his shoulders and dashed for the door, diving through the glass and into the lobby beyond. Another crack, and the vinyl floor right next to his foot exploded in debris and dust. Alex broke into a sprint once more, navigating through the snaking halls of the old building and to the lobby where a number of Freshmen were scattered about, playing billiards or ping pong in the lounge, oblivious to the assassin outside.

"GET DOWN!" Alex roared, "NOW!"

Alarmed, the students dove towards the ground, crawling towards the wall and laying low, "What's going on?" one asked.

"Sniper!"

" _WHAT!?_ " Cynder exclaimed, "Here!?"

"YES HERE!" and Alex gently placed Ruby to the ground in a corner of the room, far out of view of the windows. Her skin was pale, blood dripped from her mouth, and she wore a dazed expression.

"Oh my God! What happened!?"

"She got shot!" Alex roared, "Terrias! Can you get on her?"

"Will do, Alex!" the servine replied hurriedly, diving to her side, "I need a med kit! Can someone get me one? And soon!?"

"You're going to be okay, Ruby," Alex replied, taking off his belt and pants and pressing them tightly against her wound.

The Commander's back felt sticky and wet beneath the fluorescent tube lights as the blood splattering his back dried, and Cynder asked, "Did he get you, too?"

"No, just Ruby..."

But that was only the beginning...

Soon after, they were interrupted by a rapid staccato of gunfire, shattering the windows, scattering the screaming students and terrifying all within. Alex felt himself retreating deep within his mind, his conscience separating itself from his body, and for a brief few moments he almost felt as if he was hovering above his body, observing the scene in the third person. This emotional distancing only fueled his rage, and he felt as if he was about to explode. He breathed heavily, toning out the gunfire, toning out the screams, trying to maintain control over his temper, trying to maintain control over himself. At last, he couldn't hold on any longer, and when his squeezed-shut eyes opened, they glowed a brilliant red-orange, and he slowly stood, screaming hellishly. Flames materialized from the air around him, circling around his body, and in an explosion of hot wind and fire, where the young man had once stood, a fiery, gladiatorial knight stood in his place, breathing in a heavy, airy rasp. The confused students, paralyzed by the gunshots, were startled into a frenzy by the unexpected, sudden appearance of Alex's rage-fueled 'Fire King' elemental form. The beast roared with an inhuman, gargled growl, before storming back towards the door leading outside into the parking lot.

The clouds suddenly drifted in, obscuring the full, fat moon and shrouding the campus in darkness. As Alex's Fire King form stomped forward, blinded by rage, the humanoid assassin, obscured by shadow, stood at the edge of the parking lot, loading a fresh clip into his weapon and aiming down the ACOG scope at the elemental, firing in short, rapid bursts. Most of the bullets ricocheted off the Fire King's armor, but some managed to punch through, only to melt in the intense heat of the elemental's purely fire body. With the Fire King continuing forward unabated, leaving behind a trail of flaring fire, the assassin fell back, startled. Sounding another otherworldly roar, the Fire King swiped his arm before him, summoning pillars of flame to burst from the pavement towards the assassin. In the blinding light of the Fire King's rampant flames, the assassin was briefly revealed, clad entirely in a full-body, black cloak, a hood and scarf concealing all but his eyes, shining in the light from a pale, white face. The weapon proving useless in slowing the elemental, the assassin, picking himself up, discarded the weapon, throwing it to the side and took on a fighting stance, glowing a faint green. Utilizing terrakinetic prowess, he summoned mighty pillars of rock from the ground, repeatedly bashing the steadily approaching Fire King, slowing him slightly, but not enough. Switching tactics, two rocky fists punched through the concrete beneath the Fire King's legs, grabbing onto his feet and pinning him to the ground.

With a roar of fury, the elemental attempted to break free from the restraint, but found his flailing effortless. Two more fists of stone and concrete punched through the parking lot, reaching up and grabbing first one, then both of the Fire King's arms, pulling back towards the ground and trapping them in place too. Completely trapped, the elemental twisted and pulled, attempting to break free from his restraints. Again, the assassin changed movesets, repeatedly summoning pillars of stone and boulders from the surrounding ground, bludgeoning the Fire King repeatedly until he telekinetically raised one immense, toothlike boulder off the ground and brought it down upon the Fire King. It impaled the beast in a spray of liquid fire, embedding itself, now glowing red-hot, in the ground on the otherside of the elemental's body. Liquid fire dripped from the Fire King like glowing, orange blood onto the pavement, sizzling and smoking as it made contact with the much cooler pavement. As the elemental stopped flailing, the assassin quickly and anxiously looked around before sprinting off, disappearing ahead, leaving the Fire King pinned there, unable to move.

His rage subsiding, Alex returned to his natural form, now free from the boulder, and he collapsed to the ground, barely conscious, nearly battered beyond recognition, and exhausted from the excursion. His last conscious sight before slipping into an all-encompassing, black void, were Terrias' and Cynder's silhouetted forms sprinting towards him.


	6. Chapter V: Sanctuary

_**Chapter V**_ **:**

 **-''Sanctuary''-**

 **-Coulson, North Carolina-**

 **- _15 June 2016_ -**

 **- _0815 Hours_ -**

 _Are you okay?_ a voice rang throughout the darkness, _Wake up!_

With a groan, Alex's eyes snapped open and he slowly sat upright. His body burned hellishly, a feverish chill had settled deeply in his bones, and he was dazed and confused. "Where am I?" he slurred, disoriented.

"Are you okay?" Cynder asked again, wearing a deeply worried expression, "What happened?"

As his memories caught up to him, Alex jumped to his feet with a start, "Ruby! Where's Ruby!?" he quickly shoved aside both Terrias and the she-dragon, both who had been kneeling over him, running across the lobby and to where Ruby lay, asleep. He collapsed to her side, "Shit..." he whispered beneath his breath, "Ruby...Ruby are you with me?" her body was a pale, ashen gray, her body was rapid and labored, and her body was coated in drying blood. Terrias had bandaged her injury, and as Alex tended to the dolphin, the servine himself appeared behind the Commander.

"Listen...I removed the bullet and patched her up...but I _strongly_ suggest you take her to a veterinarian, or at least someone who knows what the hell they're doing. I don't know how much damage the bullet did...it _was_ poisoned."

"Our son?"

"I'm not sure if the wound did anything to the pregnancy, the bullet was lodged partway through her womb...can't tell what else it could have done to her."

"You guys go back to Vernhelm," the Commander replied, barely managing to keep his voice from trembling, "Cynder...I need your help."

"Of course, what can I do?"

"Terrias, do you know of any places that can take care of her? It doesn't matter where."

"I...I don't know..."

"Ruby...I'll find whoever did this."

"Alex..." the dolphin managed, "The...the baby...is the baby okay?"

"I don't know," he replied, cradling her head, "But I'm gonna get you _both_ somewhere safe."

"Now hold on a minute..." Terrias interrupted, "We're on the run, remember? We're _fugitives_? We can't just travel cross-country! What if we get caught? The world can't afford to have us back in fucking prison!"

"I don't care," Alex hissed, "I need to get her to someone."

"I get it, man, I really do...but that's one hell of a risk to go. She'll be fine once we hit her with another dose of the serum and an antidote for the anti-mutagen."

"It's not just _her_ , that I'm worried about...it's the baby, too."

"Is the child really worth more than our freedom? Is it worth more than the end of the fucking world?"

"Yes it is," Alex snarled, "With yours, I'd expect you'd feel the same!"

The servine fell silent, looking away with a sigh, "I suppose you're right."

"I want you guys to find the cunt responsible for this and rip him to _fucking_ shreds!" Alex roared, helping the wounded dolphin onto Cynder's back.

"Where you gonna go?" Kira asked.

"I'm not sure...maybe go back to Tallahassee...I have a contact there that may help us."

"I'm coming with you."

"You stay here Kira."

"Bullshit! Ruby can't fight and _you_ need to keep an eye on her, I got it."

"Fine," the Commander submitted after several moments of hesitation.

"Lemme come, too," Dash said, "I can switch off with Kira."

Alex nodded in agreement, then turned to Terrias, "You're in charge, mate. Take care of Alpha."

The servine, arms crossed upon his chest, nodded towards the Commander, "We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Thank you."

"Be careful."

"You, too," and without another word, Alex mounted Cynder and the she-dragon took to the skies, carrying both to the south. Soon after, Kira and Dash took flight and joined alongside them. Once the group had disappeared beneath the horizon, deeming it unsafe for teleportation with Ruby in such critical condition.

Terrias, looking after them, asked, "Hope she's okay...wonder who did it."

Spyro grunted, "Who cares, glad someone finally grew the balls to act."

"The hell is wrong with you?" Terrias grunted.

"You mean except that Ruby's bullshit is finally starting to catch up with her? Did she _really_ expect everyone to just gladly accept the fact that she's pregnant with the Antichrist?"

"She's not pregnant with the Antichrist, and even if she were, I'm happy for them. Alex and Ruby love each other very much, and they _have_ loved each other for a _very_ long time. I'm glad that they were able to finally reap the fruits of their labors, Mother Nature be damned."

"And you're not in the _least_ bit suspicious that Alex—a human _fucking_ being—managed to make Ruby—a goddamn bottlenose dolphin—pregnant?"

"It's not my place to judge or ask. Like I said, they love each other deeply, why _shouldn't_ they be allowed to start a family?"

"Um...maybe because it's unholy and unnatural?"

"So what?" Terrias growled, "A talking dolphin is unnatural! Hell _ALL_ of Alpha Company is 'unholy' and 'unnatural' what with our mutations and shit. Alex and Ruby are happy, leave them alone. 'Sides, you didn't seem to complain whenever Alex succumbed to his bestial tendencies before... _that_ shit is 'unholy' and 'unnatural'...isn't it considered a sin in Christian religions?" then, "Unless _YOU_ know something about who attacked her last night."

"Yeah right, I was sleeping."

"...Through a goddamn gunfight?"

"Surely I'm not the _only_ person here who has learned—over however many years of combat—to sleep through a firefight."

The servine said nothing, only sighed, "I don't understand why nobody can let them just...be happy."

"Because that child will destroy the world," Piermont hissed, speaking up for the first time in several days, "Do you all _really_ want to fight Deitus _again_? We barely conquered the son of a bitch _last_ time!"

"You're still alive, Pierre?" Terrias chuckled, wearing a grin, "Shit, I almost forgot you existed."

"Fuck you, Snake! Karma's quickly catching up to that whore...her mate, too. And may I say that it's about bloody damn time!"

"Where are we going again?" Cynder asked as Alex and company sailed through the air above northern Florida. Dash and Kira flew around them, keeping an eye on things, and Alex clung tightly to Ruby, holding her close to his body against the bitterly cold, high-altitude winds.

"To find Georgia Lyons...Ruby's old trainer."

"The chick from the aquarium?"

"If anyone would know what to do, it's her. She may even be—or at least know—a vet that specializes in cetaceans for us."

"Are you leaving me behind?" Ruby asked in a mournful wail, delusional and feverish from infection and the poison coursing through her veins.

"No," Alex replied firmly, cradling his lover and tenderly kissing her head, "I'm going to be right there with you."

"You do care..." she replied, voice trailing as her consciousness fluttered uneasily.

"Of course, my little gemstone..." then, "Do you love me? I love you."

"Love..." Ruby sighed, dazed, "My love...my guardian...my savior...my mate..."

As she slipped unconscious once again, Alex kept petting her, alternating between this and scratching the base of her dorsal fin, all while he quietly sang _You're the Inspiration_ to her beneath his breath. "Stay with me, love..." he whispered, "Stay with me..."

They landed in Tallahassee, outside the same aquarium beneath which the _Caeda_ Militia had kept the dolphin prisoner several years earlier, having remembered seeing Georgia Lyons' name mentioned on a board in the lobby introducing the trainers for the orca and dolphin shows. Leaving his companions outside to keep watch over Ruby, the Commander rushed into the aquarium, shoving his way to the showroom. The towering bleachers around him were filling up, a show would be starting soon, but not for a little while at least. He hurriedly raced across the room, forcing his way into the back room where the trainers were tending to their animals.

"Is Georgia Lyons here?" Alex asked harshly, bitterly.

Immediately, several trainers descended upon him, reminding him that he wasn't supposed to be back there, threatening to call security and pestering him with questions pertaining to his trespassing.

"Outta my way!" he hissed, shoving past them, "Georgia Lyons? I need to speak to her!"

"Who's asking?" a voice spoke nearby, and Alex turned to see the aging woman approach him, showing every second of the forty years between the last time he had seen her in the mid-1970s and today.

"Alex Vaughn," he replied, "You might remember me from the '70s...the massacre with Sapphire?"

"Right..." she sighed, "What do you want? Here to take yet _another_ one of my animals?"

"No..." Alex replied firmly, "But I need your help...please..."

Georgia in tail—along with several other curious trainers—Alex rushed back outside to where Cynder was laying on the ground, sunning herself. Dash and Kira stood nearby, tending to Ruby, who had been laid gently on the grass. "Jesus..." Georgia exclaimed upon seeing the cow, running to her side, "What happened..."

"An assassin shot her," Alex replied, "Last night...I...I'm not sure if he was just after me or what but...she got shot, do you have a vet around?"

"Help me get her inside."

Alex nodded, gently lifting the limp, unconscious dolphin over his shoulder and carrying her into the aquarium, the rest of his party in close pursuit. They were led into a lab in the southwesst corner of the aquarium, where a table was quickly sanitized and Alex was beckoned to lower the dolphin upon it. Almost instantly, Georgia was there checking the dolphin's vitals, "What happened exactly?"

Once the Commander had finished recounting the events that had transpired the previous night—from Ruby's drunken performance, to her attempts at seduction, to their romantic playing, and finally to the assassin's attack—Georgia only nodded, gently cutting into the stitched wound to clean it.

"Did you remove the bullet?"

"Yes, our medic did...said it was half-embedded in her womb..." then, "That's another thing...can you check her pregnancy? I'm afraid the bullet may have hurt the child somehow."

Georgia nodded, calling for an ultrasound and gently examining the dolphin's belly...and Alex saw his child for the first time. The tiny creature was curled into a ball within his mother's body, and the Commander was filled with a range of emotions that he had never before experienced in such a strange combination: pride, fear, wonder...and most importantly...love. The calf seemed to be male—as was to be expected—and Alex was amazed at just now innocent the creature looked, untouched by the corruption of the world—or the utter darkness of his soul's previous owner. Astonished, Alex gently placed a hand against the image, smiling lovingly towards the tiny creature, the fruit of the love between him and his soul mate. "Hi little buddy..." he managed in a small voice, feeling an overwhelming love for the unborn creature, and he affectionately stroked his mate's distended belly, awestruck when the tiny calf's fin tried to reach towards his hand.

Cynder smiled happily towards Alex, with Kira and Dash casting him approving nods. Never before could Alex recall feeling such an attraction, a love towards another. "Sapphire's?" Georgia asked, chuckling.

"No," Alex replied, grinning, "Mine."

The trainer cast him a puzzled look, "Pardon?"

"Long story..." Alex began, distracted and approaching the monitor, gently stroking the screen, "But...he's mine..." then returning to the present, "Will he be okay?"

"Hard telling," Georgia replied, "It looks like there may be some damage...though it's hard telling how severe it'll be until he's actually born."

"And Ruby?"

"If we can keep that injury clean from infection, and keep her dosed up on medicines..." then, "You two don't have any plans do you?"

"No...why?"

"Well, may I suggest keeping her here for awhile? We need to make sure everything is all right, not just for the mother, but the child as well."

"I...I'm not leaving her here alone. I promised her I wouldn't."

"There's a hotel down the road..."

"Hey, Alex?" Cynder asked, "Don't your mom's parents live nearby?"

The Commander suddenly nodded, "Yeah...they live about a twenty minute's drive from here."

"Think we can convince them to let us hang out for awhile?"

Alex turned to face Georgia, "How long should we keep her here."

"A week or two at least."

The Commander slowly nodded, "If she wakes up, let her know that we'll be right back..." and, after kneeling to kiss the dolphin's head and belly, he turned to face his companions, "Let's go pay grandpa and grandma a visit."

"I'll call Terrias," Cynder replied, "Let him know what's going on."

"Make sure he doesn't tell Spyro or Piermont," Alex responded.

"Will do."

Turning to face Georgia again, Alex said, "We'll be right back, hopefully this won't take long."

The trainer only nodded, "I understand...she's safe here with me."

"Yeah, and I'll stay here to make sure she's okay," Kira replied with a firm nod.

"Thank you."

Alex, Cynder, and Dash walked towards the small home within which the Commander's maternal grandparents lived, located in the suburbs of Tallahassee. "You think they'll let us stay?" the she-dragon asked worriedly, "I mean...your mom doesn't like us very well..."

"My mom is also stubborn, knows about my bestiality, and cares for whatever reason...my grandparents...not so much. I don't see why they wouldn't in all honesty. They sounded pretty okay with the idea when I called them earlier, shortly before we left."

"Listen..." Cynder began, pausing in her track, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about Ruby..."

"She'll be fine," Alex replied, although his confident tone sounded false and transparent, "She's tough...she's been through a helluva lot more than this in the past. I'm more concerned about my son. Especially after everything that Georgia was saying."

"I'll pray for him...I'll pray for _both_ of them," Cynder replied with a firm nod.

"Me, too. Dunno if the Big Man above will pay any attention to little old me, but I'll do whatever I can."

Alex smiled towards them, "Thanks guys...that really means a lot, you know?"

"'Course," Dash replied with a confident grin, "We got your back."

"I know...and I'm glad I can trust you two..."

"We're just glad to be your friends," Cynder nodded, casting Alex a loving smile. With a light chuckle, he scratched both of their heads, ruffling Dash's mane to bring about small protests from the pegasus. Cynder only purred contentedly, her body warming significantly, the scales on her head lifting slightly. Briefly he could smell the she-dragon's natural musk emanating from the glands beneath her scales, normally a sign of sexual arousal in her species, but also able to be interpreted as a sign of love and affection. Stepping onto the brick patio, Alex lightly knocked on the mahogany door, waiting patiently until his grandfather—a former Vietnam vet, motorcycle and car enthusiast, and former drag racer—answered.

"Good to see you, Al. Long time no see, man."

"Likewise," the Commander replied, and he nodded towards his companions, "This is Cynder and over here is Rainbow Dash, two friends of mine."

"Well come on in, brother," and he stepped aside to allow the trio inside. Upon closing the door, he continued, "So what exactly is going on? Kinda hard to hear on the phone with all the traffic in the background.." and he reached into the fridge taking out a Budweiser and tossing it to Alex.

"A...very good friend of mine was shot last night. An assassin tried to kill her, need someplace to stay while she's in the hospital recovering from her injuries...you mind if we stay here for a bit?"

"Not at all..." then with a grin, "Girlfriend?"

Alex smiled, "Eh...of sorts, yeah."

"What's her name?"

"Ruby."

"Ruby..." and he paused for a moment, "I think your mom told me something about that...isn't she like a fish or something?"

Alex cast an uneasy glance with his companions before continuing, "A dolphin, yes."

"That's right," and Alex's grandfather stepped outside into the backyard, where he was grilling burgers. Alex followed him out there, just in time to hear his grandfather, named Rick, continue, "Hear that dolphins give some damn good sex."

"I wouldn't know," Alex lied.

"Your mom said you two were a thing."

"Well...I think it's a misunderstanding..."

"Ah! That's fine, not my place to judge. We all got our kinks. Want a burger or hot dog?"

The Commander released a sigh of relief, and Cynder gently caressed his lower back with her tail, warm, obsidian scales shining brightly in the noonday sun, "Nah...nerves are too shot to eat right now."

"How's she doing now?"

"I don't know for sure...we have a vet checking her out right now...she supposed to call me if anything comes up. Anyway, it's not really _her_ health that's worrying me...we all can take a few hits...what _is_ concerning me is that she's six months pregnant, and our medic pulled the bullet out of her womb."

"Yours?" Rick laughed, but continued, without giving the Commander a chance to reply, "I'm sure they're both fine."

"Hope so. Anyway, there's the health of the child, and then there's also the fact that there's an assassin out there who wants us—or at least her—dead, and given that said assassin was using terrakinesis, I can't help but fear that it's one of my men."

"Well, who has that particular power?"

Alex shrugged, "We all do, technically speaking, or at least, we all _can_ , with the proper training and dedication. But in terms of people who have or _would_ actually use it...myself, Spyro, Jazz, Rapid, Terrias, and Terrias' mate, Aria, are the only ones I can think of...in my immediate inner circle at least. Terrias, Rapid, and Aria are the primary users of the power, Rapid rarely—if ever—uses any lethal combat and has absolutely no reason for hating me, considering he's been a close friend and on my side for as long as I can remember, and he's hugely supporting of Ruby and I for having a child...plus Reverend is hugely religious, it's not like him. Aria doesn't have any beef with me, and Terrias is my best friend, I don't see any reason why he would want to betray me."

"What about the other ones? Spyro or Jazz?"

"Well..." Alex shrugged, Cynder suddenly adopted a worried expression, and the Commander pet the top of her head, scratching between her horns in an attempt to soothe her, "It's likely...Spyro's been one of the two big advocates for Ruby to abort the child she's pregnant with. As for Jazz...we have a rather nasty, checkered history with each other, but it's all good between us now."

"Why?"

"It's...complicated."

"I'd put them under the microscope then."

"Considering it...or at the very least Spyro. If Jazz wanted to start some shit with me, he'd go after me directly, he wouldn't resort to cowardly shit like this. Attacking us from the shadows while we're both vulnerable is more of Spyro's element...he's always had a bit of cowardice in his personality, plus he's been hugely envious of Ruby and I for...some fucking reason, I don't know, and his bitter hostility towards Ruby is astonishing and unbased."

"Well...where were they all during the time of the attack?"

Alex shrugged, "Ruby and I were alone at the time...but maybe half an hour earlier, Jazz was getting drunk at the bar and chatting with Rapid, Rocket, and Aria. Terrias was with me, don't know where Spyro was...hadn't seen him for several hours, as a matter of fact."

"I'd investigate him...and, at the very least, if it wasn't him, he may have recruited someone to go after you."

"But a mutant? You don't just find those growing on trees!"

"Alex," Cynder began, "He _does_ have the power to mutate people...you gave him the ability to do that, remember?"

The Commander sighed, "Right...but I just...Spyro may be an asshole, but I don't see him doing shit like this...it's not like him."

"Maybe he's getting back at you for sheltering me? Can you see him doing that?"

Alex frowned grimly, "Fucking hell..."

"The fact that he's after Ruby serves a second purpose, too...he despises her and wants her dead, he's said so himself. If he's getting fed up of waiting for her to die in combat, from natural causes, or perhaps suicide, he may try to find a way to do it himself. He doesn't like getting his paws dirty, but you know that he will if he deems it necessary."

"If I may say something..." Dash suddenly spoke up, ignored for the duration of the conversation, "Whoever was shooting at us was using a SCAR-H, I could tell by the sound...the only one who had one on them at the time was Sam, remember?"

"Why would Sam do this?"

"Not saying he would have or did," Dash continued, laying down, her hooves tucked beneath her belly, "But whoever _did_ may have paid him a visit to borrow the weapon. I suggest talking to Sam about this, at the very least he may have a lead for us."

"Or Eli," Cynder chimed in, "Eli was training Sam with it yesterday...even though Eli doesn't really have a motive. As far as I'm concerned, he's neutral in this whole 'keep or kill the child' ordeal and he refuses to get involved."

"And the list of suspects gets ever larger," Alex sighed, rubbing his temples and lighting a cigarette.

"Well, who's to say it was someone from Alpha? It could have been _anyone_."

"You're not helping, Cyn..." Alex replied, disgruntled.

"Sorry..." Cynder frowned, looking away shamefully.

"It's fine I'm just...I'm worried, that's all. If this happened once—and once the assassin realizes they failed—it's hard telling if they'll try again...and if they _do_... _when_. Generally, people who want _other_ people dead don't stop if the first attempt fails, they keep trying until they either succeed or are put down first. Hard telling how they'll attack next time, too, if they _do_ decide to try again. Next time may not be a few lucky sniper shots with a SCAR-H, they may try something else, some other, more effective, tactic."

"All I can suggest," Grandpa Rick interrupted, "Is you keep an eye on everyone and keep that dolphin of yours closely guarded. Don't wanna leave a H.V.T out in the open where just anyone can get to them."

"The problem is that I don't know who to trust anymore...at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if nearly every member of my unit wants her dead."

"Well, put your closest comrades around her to keep her safe...surely there's a _few_ guys you can trust?"

Alex shrugged, sipping from his beer, "Yeah...I suppose so."

"Assign them to be her security, find a nice, secure place for her to live and keep her there until you can identify and neutralize the threat."

"Kinda sorta what we've been doing...after we lost New Alexandria, we built ourselves a settlement in the Gothics. My longhouse is kinda out there on the edge of the settlement, too far away for most people to bother. The room where Ruby lives isn't that obvious, there's a few slitted windows that hug the ceiling...there's no sniping positions that anyone can get into that gives them a clear shot inside the room, and the house is full of people that I _can_ trust."

"That's a good start."

With the confirmation that they were allowed to stay, Alex and his party returned to the aquarium. Ruby was awake, alert, but complained of abdominal pain, and Georgia expressed concern as to the safety of the child. "Do you think he'll live?" the Commander asked.

Georgia shrugged, "I need to do a little more studying before I can make an accurate prediction. At the very least, I'd expect potential birth defects, possibly even mental retardation. Whatever she was poisoned with is still floating around in her bloodstream...it's hard telling if that will have any adverse effect on the child. I've never dealt with something...quite like this before. Not only do the animals I have in here normally not speak, but I don't really understand the effects of your mutations."

"I'd imagine the child would be pretty badass," Dash chuckled, "Second-generation mutants generally inherit the best traits of their parents, making them much stronger."

"I guess most of this will be a waiting game then?" Kira grunted.

"Unfortunately," Georgia replied, "I wish there was more I could do to help...but like I said, this is beyond my knowledge."

Alex sighed, "Thanks for trying at least..."

"We'll keep her here for a little bit, see what's going on. I'll do everything I can to help, I promise."

The Commander only nodded, squeezing Ruby's fin and kissing her head. She smiled towards him, bright blue eyes shining with love and appreciation. "I love you, Ruby."

She nodded, "I love you, too, Alex...thank you for being here for me."

"Of course I am...where else would I be? You're my little gemstone."

She nodded vigorously, "Yes, and _you_ are my guardian angel..." she blushed, "And my soul mate."

The Commander smiled widely, genuinely touched by this statement. As he leaned over her, gently petting her, he nodded, "Yes, I am, love...get some rest, okay?"

"Where are you going?"

"I need to check in with the others, make sure everything's going fine...don't worry though, I'll be right back, okay?"

"Are you leaving me here alone?"

"No, I'm just stepping outside for a little bit. Plus, we're staying at my grandpa and grandma's house, they live just a few miles away from here...so as long as you're here, I'll only be a stone's throw away. All you need to do is call."

As Alex turned away, fishing out his phone, Ruby called after him, "I'm sorry."

He turned to face her again, "For what?"

"For how I was asking last night...I had a little bit too much to drink...sorry if I came off as a bit...forceful."

The Commander grinned, "Nonsense, it was all good, sorry I was so boring."

"Maybe we can spend the night together soon?"

Alex chuckled, "Once you're cleared to get out of here...we'll talk about it," and he winked at her before finally leaving the room.

Georgia turned to face the rest the group, "Man...never would I have imagined that a dolphin could be so attracted to a human...choosing one over a member of her own species, no less."

"Trust me," Dash laughed, "Ruby comes onto Alex much more than he comes onto her...people just blast _him_ because he's a human and 'should know better'. If they actually saw just how their relationship was, and saw just how high Ruby's libido and lust for him was, people would probably think of them a lot more differently than they do now. Yeah, Alex is bestial, but it's not like he spends all his freetime seducing animals...he just accepts what _they_ offer."

Georgia shook her head, "I've heard stories of guys—and sometimes girls, too—seeking out to mate with dolphins...sometime even maintaining a sexual relationship with the same one for whatever amount of time. Never did believe them, though, the very idea just seems so...outlandish. Never would have expected those stories to be true."

"I doubt most of them are," Cynder replied, "But what Alex and Ruby have going on..." the dragon glanced towards the dolphin, nodding vigorously, "That...that is very much real."

"I love him..." Ruby said in a small voice, "I just...I wish people could understand that. He doesn't hurt me, he doesn't use me...we both love each other deeply...the pleasure of mating is mutually shared between us. He doesn't seek me out as some kind of...living sex toy, like everyone wants to believe. When I want intimacy, he gives it to me, and when he wants it, I give it to him...but our relationship..it's so much more than mating. People look at me...they look at us...and they think that he's some kind of twisted, depraved monster, a morbid creature that abused me and trained me to be used as a slave to his sexual desires...but I'm not, and he didn't. I _love_ him, and yes, I _DO_ know what ' _love'_ is...he loves me. I just...I wish people could leave us alone, could let us be happy..." she tenderly stroked her belly, "I have, in fact, never felt so loved or wanted in my entire life. He makes me happy, he treats me special, he takes care of me, he's nice to me, he treats me as his queen...people look at me and they look at him. They think that I'm a 'poor, stupid creature', that they know better than I do, that they know what I want, and that I _don't_ know, that I don't _understand_ , what I 'truly want'. They feel compelled to 'rescue' me from my 'abusive owner', to take me away from that 'monster', but they don't listen to reason, they don't listen to what I _actually_ want. I _WANT_ to be his queen! Nothing would make me happier..." and her voice trailed. After several moments of silence, she spoke up again, voice full of longing, "We were so close, too. We were so close to being allowed to marry...what I wouldn't _give_ to be his wife."

Georgia stiffened, "Wait...are _you_ the namesake of the Ruby Clause?"

Cynder and Dash both nodded in silence, with Dash saying, "Yeah. Everybody thought it'd pass, too...but God forbid the Feds thought differently."

"Well...in their defense, it wouldn't have worked. Too many ways for the system to get abused, too much difficulty in verification, and way too many gray areas. It was a fever dream, an idea that probably never got any serious consideration, but was only thrown around to silence the vocal minority demanding for it."

"That's unfortunate," Dash sighed.

Cynder only frowned, looking away and saying nothing. She had actually wanted and had been planning to apply for the license as well, hoping to surprise Alex upon his release and show him that she was interested in rekindling their relationship, something that she never really got over to begin with, even when they both promised they would cease their activities...a promise that was probably nothing more than hot air to _both_ of them in an effort to make them feel better about what they did.

"Back," Alex suddenly said, reentering the room, "Anybody miss me?"

"Nah," Dash replied, grinning widely, "Hell, I forgot you even existed."

"Ow...that hurt my fee-fees."

"We were just talking about random things," Cynder said, "Nothing _too_ important."

"Yeah," Kira replied, "Ruby was just ranting about how you two love each other and nobody understands your relationship and yadayadayada, S.S.D.D."

"Anyway," Dash interrupted, "So what did they have to say?"

"Well, Terrias has been asking around campus and trying to find clues to the identity of whoever attacked us last night...so far there's been no luck."

"Did you tell him what your grandad said?"

"Yeah, he said he'll keep an eye on Spyro, just in case."

"Are we sure it wasn't him?" Kira asked. The harpy's arms were crossed at her chest, and she wore an annoyed expression.

"99.9% sure," Alex replied, "He's my best friend, there's no reason why he would. I mean, yeah he doesn't necessarily _like_ the idea of me somehow, unnaturally impregnating Ruby with the reincarnation of Deitus, but he's even said that it's not his business to tell me what to do and that he'll stand behind me in whatever decision I choose. The worst he's said is that, in a one-off discussion, he suggested I at least _consider_ abortion as an option...but he hasn't said anything else about it since..." the Commander suddenly sobered, "Oh, there was _one_ thing he said..."

"And that is...?" Cynder began.

"Alpha hasn't been very helpful in finding the assassin...only Rapid and Jazz want anything to even _do_ with the investigation, the others don't care and seem disinterested."

"What's wrong with that?" Kira asked.

"Well, considering that someone just made an attempt on the life of Ruby and I...he's afraid that this may be a sign to something...more...something deeper."

"Like...?"

"Like mutiny?" Dash asked.

"Yeah..." Alex replied, "Terrias said he'll keep me updated. Says not to make any conclusions just yet, but to be weary nevertheless."

"Why would your own unit want to betray you?" Dash asked.

"Simple," Cynder replied, "Because my mate is Alpha's _official_ second-in-command, is strongly against Ruby's existence, Piermont is batshit insane, the majority of the unit believes that Ruby is a dangerous weakness, and since her arrival, Alex has grown soft. If they deem him unfit to continue serving, things may get very dangerous."

"Once more," Ruby sighed, "I'm the source of everyone's problems...sometimes I wonder if everything would be better off if I were just to die right here, right now."

"Don't say that!" Alex exclaimed, aghast, "I can't lose you..."

The dolphin only shrugged, sighing sadly, "It's true isn't it? Since I came here, everything's just been getting worse. The very fabric holding Alpha Company together is becoming unraveled, clearly my presence isn't helping anyone...in fact, it just seems to be doing more harm than good."

"Nobody hates you, Ruby," the Commander continued, "They're just...upset that you've been getting all my attention lately."

"Come on, Alex...think logically here. I got shot! Somebody tried to kill me! If nobody hated me, this wouldn't have happened, and even if it were only the assassin who despised me, at the very least you think _all_ of Alpha Company would be working to figure out who did this and why...but nobody cares, and that's because nobody likes me. Don't lie to me, please don't, even if you think it'll make me feel better...it won't." she sighed, looking away, "I'm tired of people lying to me, thinking that it'll make me feel better...treating me like I'm some kind of child who's incapable of taking the truth, as bitter as it may be. I'm tired of people holding my hand, pampering me and telling me that everything will be all right in some pathetic attempt to hide the truth from me. I'm much stronger than I was back then, I can take it."

"You're right," Alex sighed, "But I _do_ believe that the situation isn't as bad as you think."

"Don't lie to me, Alex."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes you are."

"How can you tell?"

"Because I can read your aura, your body language, I know how you are, I know when you're telling the truth and I know when you're lying. You know you're speaking utter bullshit, don't lie and tell me you aren't. You don't believe a word you're saying, so stop thinking I will, please."

Alex looked towards his feet, pursing his lips, "Regardless..." he said, "You're not going anywhere, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you if I can hold it. I'll fight off everyone else if it needs be. I've finally found someone that makes me happy...somebody that gives me a reason worth living, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna give it up because somebody doesn't like you. Now that we have a son to worry about, that's _especially_ true."

"I just think it's bullshit that with everything else going on in the world right now, everybody''s throwing a pissy little bitch fit over Ruby's pregnancy," Dash snorted, "As if we didn't have more important things to worry about. This is so incredibly petty, it's ridiculous."

"I think that this is the result of everyone getting exasperated that Alex isn't listening to their needs and is going about on his merry way with Ruby in tow," Cynder said, "Not that I'm condoning it, I'm happy that Alex found someone he loves, and I'm happy that he's standing firm for his beliefs...but at the same time I can also see why everyone else is so pissed off. I do agree, however, that this is a horrible time to worry about this crap, and that it's so petty that it can wait."

Georgia then interrupted, "Um...not to kinda get in the way here but...I need to collect some stuff for tests..." she handed Alex several vials, "Figured she would be a lot more comfortable if you got them for me."

Alex grabbed them, "Sure, what do you need?"

"Blood, urine, and fecal samples..."

That night, Alex trudged into the spare guest house in his grandparents' backyard, the rest of his team with him. Dash and Kira were quick to head to bed, and once Cynder had retired as well, the Commander slipped outside into the backyard, taking a seat in one of the chairs by the pool, lighting a smoke, and looking into the stars above, thinking over everything that had happened and been discussed that day. "Mind if I talk to you?" Cynder spoke from behind him, and Alex turned his head to the side, watching as she stepped towards him and took a seat by his side.

"Sure," he replied, blowing smoke rings into the sky, "Not like there's anything else going on at the moment. What's on your mind?"

Cynder looked towards the stars, trying to think how she was going to word what she wanted to say for several minutes before finally speaking again, "Do you ever miss the way things were...not really with Alpha but with...y'know...us?"

"You mean our relationship?"

Cynder nodded, "Yeah...I know things have been kinda rough lately, with Ruby's injuries and Zinnia's capture but..." she shook her head, "Do you ever miss the nights we spent together?"

He shrugged, "Sometimes..." then, "I thought we agreed that it was over...that it was time for us to move on?"

"Yes..." she began in a small voice, "But did you _really_ mean it? Or was it just something to alleviate the guilt of polygamy...be honest."

He sighed, "I don't know."

"Lately, I've had a lot of time to think over things...I've had a _lot_ of sleepless nights...tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable, mind racing...should we get back together?"

Alex sighed, this time exasperated, "I...I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't deal with the guilt again...the guilt over screwing Kira fucked me up, and I _had_ to do that with a gun pointed against my head. I...I just don't think I could deal with that again. It was my polygamous zoophilia that ruined everything I had with Sarah...I don't want to lose anyone else to that."

"Lose who? Ruby? Zinnia? Neither of them care, hell I'm sure Zinnia wouldn't mind spending a few sessions with me, too...and Ruby...? Well, I'm sure you remember how much she enjoyed that night we were all together before you and Terrias went off to prison. I just...I miss how things used to be...how _we_ used to be," she chuckled nervously, like a school girl before her crush, "You can only help yourself so many times..."

"What exactly are you wanting?"

"Alex...I want to...to feel you... _inside_ of me again. I want to be in your arms, I want our bodies to writhe and shudder against each other in the heat of passion...I want to mate with you again."

"Is this why you ran away from Spyro?"

Cynder scoffed, offended and hurt, "You _know_ why I ran away from him. You _really_ think I'd do these cuts and bruises to myself?"

"Spyro did say you cut yourself when I was gone."

"I made a mistake," Cynder replied bitterly, "Something that I regret, that I wish I had never done...why on earth would I do it again?"

"For attention."

"I'm not that bad!" the dragon exclaimed, near tears, "Is that _really_ how you feel about me? That I'm just some...some whore crying for attention?" fiercely shaking her head, she stormed back into the house, leaving Alex alone once again. After two more cigarettes, he finally retired for the night, pausing in the doorway of the second bedroom to see Cynder—forced to share a bed with Kira—curled into a tiny ball at the edge of the bed, her sleep troubled. The birdgirl herself was splayed out over the bed, having kicked off the covers and was snoring loudly, occasionally twitching or mumbling something in her sleep. Alex quietly closed the bedroom door, slipping into the master bedroom, shedding his clothes down to his boxers and undershirt, and crawling into bed beside Dash. The pegasus shifted positions, mumbling something before stilling yet again, and the Commander finally drifted to a sleep haunted by nightmares.


	7. Chapter VI: Catechumen

_**Chapter VI**_ **:**

 **-''Catechumen''-**

 **-Tallahassee, Florida-**

 **- _16 June 2016_ -**

 **- _0704 Hours_ -**

Cynder said nothing to Alex that next day, she didn't even meet his eyes, only looking away whenever she noticed him glancing towards her. Although it was obvious that he had offended her, he didn't feel sorry, in fact, he felt quite the opposite. He loved her, too, but she knew how much he was struggling with everything going on, and although he figured that she had only intended the offer to be an attempt at helping him to relax, the audacity of it offended _him_. He made a note in the back of his mind to apologize and possibly return the offer sometime in the future, once everything had settled down a bit. In all honesty, he had been finding his thoughts turning to the sweet nights he had spent with the she-dragon, and although a part of him _did_ want to rekindle their affair, to take her to bed and renew their relationship, at the same time, he wasn't sure if his guilt...or maybe his pride...could allow him to do such a thing. Memory of the grisly nightmares that had haunted his sleep the night he claimed Kira's maidenhead kept surfacing in his mind, and he feared they would happen again. He owed the she-dragon greatly...she had always been a patient ear, there for him when he needed to get something off his chest. She had always stood by him, offering whatever support she could. She had protected him, both on the battlefield and in his house. She had helped him cope with losing Zinnia so many years ago. But most importantly to him, she had stepped up, sacrificing her own safety and neutrality to protect Ruby, and she had been attacked countless times for it. She was one of the few beings he knew that had a truly selfless heart, and he owed her greatly. The _least_ he could have done was accept her small offer, something that would have benefited them both, given them _both_ pleasure. Instead he had turned her away, and the more he dwelt upon his harsh rejection and criticism of her the previous night, the more he felt horrible, guilty, and cruel.

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice that anything had happened between the two, and when Alex returned to the aquarium to check on his mate, Cynder was right there beside him, even if she kept to herself and refused to meet his eye. "Alex!" Ruby squeaked, elated, and the Commander hugged her tightly, kissing her mouth repeatedly.

"How you doing, love?" the Commander asked, pulling up a chair to sit beside the dolphin and gently scratching the base of her dorsal fin.

"It hurts a little...but I'm okay..." she tried to sit up and the Commander extended his hand to support her, "I'm ready to go back home."

"You got shot..." Cynder began, "You can't just walk out without getting clearance!"

"I'm a soldier," the dolphin replied, "Soldiers get hurt, that's part of the job, right, Alex?"

"C'mon, Alex, don't let her do this!" Cynder exclaimed.

The Commander shrugged, "Well, she _does_ have a point..."

The she-dragon only rolled her eyes, rubbing her temples, "I think it's stupid to just walk out without making sure everything's okay. At the very least wait until the test results come back."

"They came back earlier today," Georgia replied, suddenly entering the room, "She _seems_ healthy, according to them, but I would still suggest you stick around so we can be absolutely sure. Like I said earlier, I don't quite know how your mutations work, so I can't make an accurate diagnosis...of course I also can't _keep_ you here, so what you decide to do is entirely up to you."

"You sure you feel up to heading back home?" Alex asked his delphinic mate, supporting her.

She nodded vigorously, "Yes. My muscles feel a little achey and weak, but Mrs. Lyons says that may be the poison."

"An extra dose or two of the serum might fix that up," Dash replied, "But if you guys are ready to go, then let's head on outta here."

"Guess we're leaving then..." and Alex turned towards Georgia, "Thank you for all of your help...good to know there are still some good people out in the world today."

She nodded, "Anytime," then, "Now do me a favor and take care of my dolphin," but she said this with light humor, "One thing about girls...you've got her heart, keep it safe."

The Commander only nodded, helping Ruby to steady herself on our own. When at last she was able to stand, she kissed him hard on the mouth, slipped her fin into his open palm, and let him guide her out of the aquarium, the others in the party close behind. Georgia only watched after them, waving a hand goodbye until they were out of sight.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alex asked once they had reached outside, helping Ruby onto Cynder's back before mounting Dash.

She nodded vigorously, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Soaring in the clear blue skies above the world, Alex ignored the bitter chill of the high-altitude temperatures, lost in the depths of thought. He had a lot going through his head, from _Filios Diaboli_ and New Alexandria to the identity of the assassin who had attacked them...and also lurking in the back of his mind was his worries for the safety of Zinnia, something that had been a persistent thought since their separation. He craned his head to the side, spying Ruby clinging tightly to Cynder's smooth, curvaceous, sleek black, feminine form, the dolphin looking around in awe at the expansive world below. His love for the dolphin was obvious, and he still held her in higher regards than anyone else, but at the same time he found his thoughts turning to Zinnia, angry with himself that after finally overcoming her sudden departure many, many years earlier, his desire to engage romantically with her once again was prominent. Unlike with Cynder, he didn't think he would experience any nightmares or negative memories were he to lay in bed with her. He bore his teeth in disgust, human instinct was settling in, calling for him to find a compatible mate to settle with, one who could bare children naturally, not through supernatural means, especially considering that once this child was born, he highly doubted Ruby could ever get pregnant by him again.

His feelings towards the girl were complicated. Zinnia had claimed his virginity, and as such this placed her in a certain niche within his heart that even _Ruby_ couldn't reach. She had returned after all, seemed to have redeemed herself, and appeared interested in him. As his thoughts dwelt upon the older girl, he remembered how she had acted around him during the later half of their journey across the Regions together, how her overall impression of him had changed from sheer animosity, to a sort of reluctant admiration, and eventually to a true friendship. He tried to recall how her body language had read at the time, but could only faintly remember some the night they had spent together. He hadn't been paying much attention to her involuntary reactions since, after all, his mind was on other things at the time...but he did remember a few subconscious tics she had displayed the night she had presented herself with the intention to sleep with him, tics that were odd and out of place, that caught his attention at the time, tics that she had to this very day. He already figured she had purposely tried to put herself into a position so that he would take her up on the rebound, but he was so caught up in the sudden departure of his _fianc_ _é_ that he hadn't cared much at the time.

Now that he had had some time to overcome the sudden loss of his ex, he found he held romantic and sexual thoughts towards Zinnia as his human instinct identified her as a healthy, fertile woman, a perfect mate to breed and reproduce with. In some ways, his feelings towards the girl were even stronger than they were with his ex, she was the only human being that he really felt a full sense of connection and belonging with. With a subtle shake of the head to drive off his negative thoughts, the Commander returned his attention to Ruby, positively glowing in a childlike wonder at the view of the world beneath her, with no clouds around to obscure it. He smiled towards her, his attraction to his delphinic mate showing itself, although Dash didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she said nothing. If only Ruby were human...how cruel of God to bind the two together by such a powerful love and indestructible bond, simultaneously dooming them to failure by making them incompatible for reproduction. He remembered seeing his unborn child for the first time, the sense of love and protectiveness he felt for not just the little critter, but also the child's mother. He and Ruby, their love so strong and incorruptible, had defied odds and Nature itself to create another living being, the product and proof of the ties of destiny that bound them and their own passionate love, and he swore to himself that he would protect both with his life. Ruby finally caught his lovestruck gaze, and she smiled warmly towards him, innocent, almost childlike, normally shy, blue eyes alighting with that familiar sparkle of joy and life and her unfathomable, loyal love, non-verbally reaffirming that she was his and his alone to love, care for, and admire, that her body belonged to him and that she was receptive only to him, ready to do his whim and bidding, through Hell or high water.

 _Why can't you be human..._ he thought to himself, remembering the way she melted into his arms when he held her, and the way her body shuddered in pleasure, her adorable, uncontrollable, little squeaks and whistles whenever he did something that she liked or she succumbed to mating pleasure, her shy embarrassment over the warm, pink blush that overtook her body, informing him of her lust and sexual arousal. The negative thought of the species barrier dividing them, preventing them from fully enjoying the rewards of love and passion morphed his loving, warm smile into a cold, calloused frown as he was hit with a harsh dose of reality. Ruby would never be human, the two would never be accepted as a legitimate couple, and once this child was born—if it could survive its gestation and birth—he and Ruby would never be able to have another child, crushing his secret desire for a big, happy family, something that he had confided only to her. He looked away before Ruby could catch on to his sudden shift in mood, not wanting to alarm her, and he had to force himself to fight back tears. _We've suffered enough..._ Alex lamented, cursing God for the entire circumstance, forcing him to live in technical sin because of mistakes made in a past life, something he, as Alexander Vaughn, had no control or influence over, something he could not prevent, _At least, for once, let us be happy..._

As if sensing his distress, Dash's mind slithered into his, and she telepathically asked, _Are you okay?_

 _I'm fine_ , he replied, _Thinking about life and shit_ , and the pegasus withdrew, leaving him to mull over his private thoughts alone.

By the time they returned to Vernhelm, it was past sunset and the compound had already retired for the night. They hurried off to the Commander's longhouse, and upon entering the warm, well-lit interior, they could see that Kira, the raptors, and Zaz had already gone to bed for the night. Alex helped Ruby the bed, making frequent glances over to the small bed in the corner of the room, where Zaz was curled into fetal position, smiling in his dreamscape. With Ruby down, Alex strolled over the small goatboy, affectionately petting and kissing his head. Azazel sleepily opened his eyes, "You're back..." he whispered.

"Yep," the Commander replied with a loving smile, "Go to sleep now," and with a tired nod, Zaz curled into a ball once again, drifting off once more. He sidestepped around the raptors, sleeping at the foot of the bed and gently pet both of them, although they didn't wake. Slipping outside his room, he gently closed the door behind him and crossed into the adjacent chamber where the indoor spring was kept, the residence of Sapphire and Ruby whenever she didn't want to sleep in his bed. He stepped into the water, scratching the bull's head and snout and kissing the top of his head. Sapphire said nothing, only smiled towards the Commander and allowed these administrations. After informing the bull of what all had transpired at the aquarium, Alex left him alone, continuing on and exiting back into the hall for his nightly rounds. He walked across the living room, lit only by the roaring fire in the hearth, and towards the room on the opposite side of the main living area. He peeked inside, spying Kira laying sprawled out, having kicked off her sheets, snoring. Dash was already asleep in her bed, directly opposite of the harpy. Alex gently replaced Kira's blankets, covering her up, and he kissed both Dash and Kira on their foreheads before he slipped back out into the living room...Cynder was nowhere to be found.

Puzzle, he checked outside, finding her sitting in the moonlight, looking up at the stars in silence. Deciding to talk to her, he quietly sneaked outside. Snow drifted slowly from the sky, and _aurora borealis_ was painted in orange, green, and red ribbons across the nighttime sky, casting the world in a beautiful glow. "Cyn...mind if I sit here?"

She said nothing, and Alex took a seat beside her, trying to come up with the words he needed to say. At last, he began, "About last night..."

"I don't want to talk about it..." Cynder replied, interrupting him, "I'm sorry...I was wrong to approach you like that..."

"Just...hear me out, okay?" then, after several more moments, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to offend you. I was just...I was kinda stressed out after everything with Ruby and I...I snapped at you, and I know I shouldn't have. I really am sorry, love. Do you forgive me?"

Silence from the she-dragon for several minutes before, "I know...that we promised to end our affair...with you and Ruby and Spyro and I...especially after he exploded at me. I was an idiot, I shouldn't have been cutting myself...but at the time I didn't know how else to cope. I couldn't really talk to anyone, because Spyro was getting all buddy-buddy with Piermont and everybody else was siding with those two. There weer times when he would come back home—Spyro I mean—and he'd be completely soused to the gills. He'd laugh and mock me for mourning over your loss...it made me angry, and only put me into a deeper depression. I was an ass to Ruby at first...but when I saw she was suffering, and I realized that I was suffering, too...I approached her to make amends...we even became good friends...

"Listen, I know what we promised..." her deeply saddened eyes looked into his, and he could tell she hadn't been sleeping well, "But can I be completely and utterly honest with you?"

"Of course."

"I miss you...I miss _us_...especially more-so now that Spyro's become such an ass. I know you're trying to get away, to settle down with one person...I get it, I really do...but I still miss you, I miss your touch. You and Spyro...you two have completely different ways of treating me...he is more dominant, kinda rough...you...you're gentle, tender. I guess what I meant to say last night, that I failed so miserably at, is that I...if you _do_ decide that you want to...spend some time with me...just ask. I would love to be in your arms again. I know that Ruby is your world now, she is the one girl you care about more than anything else, the one you _want_ more than anyone else...but just...please don't forget about little old me, huh?"

He responded by cradling her head in his hand, closing his mouth over hers and gently scratching her face and cheek. She slipped him her thin, sandpapery tongue, tangling it with his, and when he at last broke the kiss, he placed his forehead against hers, a dragonian sign of affection, "I won't forget about you, Cynder."

"Do you still love me?"

"Do you?"

She blushed, nodding slowly, "I never stopped...even when we were just two friends having the time of our lives...just friends with benefits..." she shook her head, "I...loved you. Regardless of whatever deal we made, we're _still_ mates...that is a title that I cherish deeply. If I didn't love you...I wouldn't have continued giving myself to you, y'know?" she chuckled nervously, "Mating with a human isn't...the _greatest_ experience I've ever had...you're very soft and smooth, whereas my body was designed for someone more...rougher and harder...but seeing just how much you care..." she smiled, "The first time we did it...I really thought that it wasn't going to be anything more than me living out a fetish...but then I saw how strongly you got into it...how much you enjoyed it...how intent you were to pleasure me...and I realized that it was something... _more_. I realized that I...that I actually _loved_ you and I..." she sighed, "I love you...lately, I've been...thinking a lot about us. I'm sure it's probably just my lust...since it's been so long since I have actually...y'know...and you can only treat yourself so many times...but at the same time...I've found myself going over my past a lot. We've been together for almost five years..." she frowned, "Hmph...if I would have known how things would end up between Spyro and I...I would have gone to _you_ to claim my maidenhead instead."

"He still loves you, Cyn."

"I don't even know anymore, Alex..." and he realized she was near tears, "I've messed up a lot, I know, and I've admitted to it...I've asked _countless_ times for forgiveness...and for a little while anyway, I actually _did_ start to overcome my longing for you. Then Spyro turned into...this...he started hurting me, tearing me down...I lost track of how many nights I cried myself to sleep. Realm dragons are polygamous by nature...although generally that means one male has a harem of females...not the other way around."

"I wouldn't necessarily call Spyro and I a 'harem', unless you have a few other dudes you're hiding from us."

"Regardless," she replied, "I just...I'm lost...I don't know what to do or think anymore. I thought Spyro loved me but...every day it's the same crap. I'm tired, not just physically, but emotionally, too. I'm lonely, I don't even really feel loved anymore. Between Spyro being...Spyro...and you and Ruby...I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm just saying. Half the time I wonder if anyone would notice my absence...even the rest of Alpha just ignores me and pretends I don't exist...except for Dash and maybe Rapid. As soon as I became part of the 'Ruby sympathizer' team, I wasn't worth anybody's time anymore."

Alex tossed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. Her body, extremely warm to the touch and radiating heat like a furnace, warmed them both against the cold, winter night, "I would notice."

"Would you really, though?" Cynder asked, "I'm asking honestly."

"Yes, I would," he replied with a nod, "I still care about you...I still love you. Maybe not as much as...Ruby...but I still love you...and I'm always here for you, you know that. You guys are my family...the only family I really have."

"Thank you..." she replied, voice small, "That really means a lot to me."

"I owe you so much, to be honest..." Alex sighed, "Between you saving my skin countless times on the battlefield, you protecting Ruby while I was gone...and the fact that you helped me overcome my longing for Zinnia."

"Yeah...but I ruined your relationship with Sarah in the process."

" _You_ didn't ruin it," Alex replied, " _I_ did. Between my _own_ polygamous nature...polygamous zoophilia at that...and the fact that I didn't really give her the time she wanted and needed...that was my own undoing. I think...that's why I've been so weird lately when it comes to relationships...I'm scared I'll lose Ruby."

Cynder smiled sadly, "You know, you could beat her within an inch of her life every single day, treat her like the absolute worst shit in the universe, openly admit that you hate her and sleep with every woman in front of her to flaunt infidelity...and she would _still_ love you. Sometimes I wonder if _anything_ turns that girl off."

"Anything turn _you_ off?" Alex cuhckled.

Cynder smiled mischievously towards him, playfully elbowing him in the shoulder, "You tell me...you know my kinks."

"Anyway...I'm sorry Cynder...I didn't realize that I was making things hard on you."

"It's not your fault," she replied, "It's my own pitiful weakness...I give my heart to someone and it becomes my Achilles heel...perhaps the rest of Alpha was right to call me out. I'm no better than Ruby in that regard."

"Is there anything I can do to help you? To at least make you feel important or loved again?"

Cynder shrugged, "Nothing that won't go against your values."

"Cynder...if you want me to mate you again..."

"It makes you uncomfortable."

"I can get over it. I don't want you to be unhappy. I don't want you to feel unloved."

"I don't want you to suffer," she replied firmly, "Between these nightmares that you've been having..." she sighed, "And another thing, too...add to my list of big fuck-ups. Approached you on the subject at the _worst_ possible time...I don't even know what I was thinking. Ruby was in the hospital, possibly dying, and all I cared about was getting laid."

"I interpreted it as you wanting to try to soothe my nerves, to help me relax."

She shrugged, "That's not exactly far from the truth...anyway, just forget I even mentioned it. I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Anyway...I should probably get going..." and she stood up, "Who knows what tomorrow will bring..." and she began to walk back towards the door.

"Cynder," Alex called after her, and the she-dragon paused in her tracks, craning her head to face him, "Do you want to?"

"That's fine."

"I'm serious...I will if you want me to."

"Tonight?"

"Yes tonight,beneath these stars even."

"It's cold outside."

"And? You're warm when you're horny."

"Are you sure it won't trouble you?"

"If it does, I'll get over it...now c'mere."

Grinning shyly, she walked back towards him once more taking a seat beside him on the steps, and in the light of the full moon peeking through the clouds above, she kissed him passionately, tangling her tongue with his. He led her towards the back of the house, away from any curious observers, and once they had as much privacy as they could, he quickly stripped down to his undergarments. Upon seeing the extent of his arousal, Cynder blushed harshly, her scales began to raise on end, and her familiar scent spread into the wind, mixing in his nostrils. She leaned forward, raising her tail to him to expose her cloaca, swollen open and dripping with lubrication, and he mounted her from behind, sliding into her hot, moist body with ease. She was already well-lubricated, eliminating the need to prepare her body for penetration, something that would have normally hurt him, due to the rough, almost jagged hardness of her reproductive tract, and in the moonlight, beneath the brilliant stars and the glowing _aurora_ , her scales soft and hot like a furnace to provide them both warmth against the bitter cold, they renewed their aging love, as passionately as they did the first time she had come to him so long ago. Unlike Ruby, it took the she-dragon some time to reach her climax, and when she finally did, little more than a tiny grunt, her spastically throbbing genitals milking at him to bring him to his finale, the syrupy jets of lubrication, richly scented in her natural musk splashing onto his thighs, her trembling legs and slight rocking, and her heavy breathing acknowledged her orgasm.

Their act completed, her legs gave out completely beneath her, and Alex took a seat against the walls of his house. Her cloaca pulsed in the aftermath of their session, and she crawled into his arms, her body, especially her soft belly scales, hotter than a raging fire, shuddering and jittering, her legs twitching uncontrollably. Her scales, jagged and sharp upon raising with her arousal, lowered to her body, cutting off the radiation of her scent from all but her nether regions, softening her body once again. Despite this, her scent permeated strongly through the air, radiating from her cloaca, which he was gently stroking, still pulsating and oozing a rich combination of her clear, syrupy lubrication now mixed with his milky seed, and would probably linger for some time: a smell that was wild, but not unpleasant, similar to that of freshly-cut grass. Every brush of his fingers against her sensitive genitals elicited a tiny gasp from her, hardly noticeable, and with each brush, she nuzzled his chest even more, enjoying gentle scratches on her body and face. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and her heart beat rapidly and powerfully against his chest. She struggled to get comfortable as he held her, gently petting and scratching her head and back with his left, bionic arm, a feeling that his phantom arm could just barely register. She smiled at him, tear-stained eyes full of love and joy, "I missed this..."

"I did, too..." he admitted, kissing her mouth gently, "I love you, Cyn..."

"I love you, too, Alex," she replied, cuddling against him, and they remained that way for well into the night, until _aurora_ had faded away and the first rays of sunshine began to poke through the clouds.

In an attempt to keep the previous night's experience under wraps, neither Alex nor Cynder addressed any hint that something had occurred. Ruby, as to be expected, was able to see through the Commander's guise, but all he had to do was shake his head and she understood the message. Only once they were absolutely alone, with the rest of the household having left to embark on various errands, did Ruby approach Alex and express her approval of the act which he and his dragonian mate had committed. While the Commander massaged her pregnant bulge, something he did daily, Ruby said, "It's good that you did that for Cynder...we're not the only ones going through some hard times right now. Difference is that she doesn't have anybody to go through this with...between the stress of all the worldly events going on, the pain after you accidentally spayed her outside that harpy community, the loss of attention from her mate, and the overall negligent attitude of Alpha Company towards her...she needs to know that _someone_ is looking out for her..." then, shyly, the dolphin asked, "Did you have any nightmares last night?"

After a moment's hesitation, Alex shook his head, "Didn't have _any_ dreams last night."

"Strange...I wonder what made Kira so different."

"Maybe because I kinda don't see her in a romantic or sexual light...we did what we had to do."

"Well, if either you or her decide that she needs the attention, too...make sure you give it to her."

"Thanks for the approval, but I don't think you need to worry about that. Neither _one_ of us were particularly thrilled about that whole thing. I didn't know the Proving would result in that, and _she_ didn't expect me to choose her...surprise for everybody. I think she doesn't have any qualms with moving on."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you fine with moving on?"

"Like I said, I'm not particularly interested in her...as a friend and mentor, yes...even if she is an absolute asshole to train with...but not as a lover...I'll tell you one thing though, I'm surprised that she still cares so much for me."

"Well," and Ruby righted herself, the massage complete, "You have a way of making us feel loved," the dolphin giggled, "Even when you're mating another behind our backs."

"Not funny," Alex frowned.

"Plus, she seems to be a really big romance type...and dragons aren't necessarily _known_ for their romantic treatment of their mates... _especially_ males. I also believe that everyone you mate, regardless of how often or when, you will always have a certain attachment to. I mean, every time you do that, you're giving a piece of yourself to them, you're _leaving_ a piece of yourself with them."

"Surprised I don't feel guilty right now..."

"Well...you know you two have loved each other for many years. I understand that Zinnia claimed your purity...but tell me honestly, who did you most give your heart to?"

"Well, I was fourteen when I slept with Zinnia...wasn't really at the point yet where I started developing feelings of _love_. That was more hormones and lust raging out of control at the time...even if I did long for her for a long time after."

"Did you long for her? Or did you lust for her?"

Alex shrugged, "I mean...it's not like we _really_ got to know each other very much at the time...I was questioning my sexuality—not like in the vein of do I like sucking dick or licking pussy more—but like...after I accidentally touched Nala's vag, I found my thoughts going a lot towards her and other members of Alpha...I found out that Zinnia was already an active zoophile...we wanted to see whether two weird kids like us were capable of having feelings for other members of our species. Which I guess was more or less successful...I guess, though, a big part of my longing for Zinnia _was_ lust-fueled...but I thought I loved her, too..."

"And what about Cynder? How old were you when you mated with her for the first time? How did you feel about _that_ encounter?"

"I was seventeen. The first night I spent with her was..." Alex laid down, closing his eyes, "Different...I wasn't really quite sure how I felt at the time...but after it was done and over with...and I held her in my arms...I felt... _different_..." he smiled warmly, "I felt... _loved_."

"A good or bad kind of different?"

"Good..." and he sat back up again.

"So, aside from the technical part of it...who do youfeel _actually_ took your virginity? Cynder or Zinnia?"

Alex shrugged, then after several minutes, "Cynder..."

"That explains it then...that and since Cynder is confirmed to be one of the _Old Regime_ , we can pretty much safely write off the fact that she was one of Messorem's lovers. I don't think Zinnia is _Old Regime_ , at least, Sam doesn't think so. I'm sure that also has a bit of influence in the matter."

"Perhaps..." then, "What about you?"

Ruby smiled mischievously towards him, "Do you really need to ask? Who am I with now? Who's child am I carrying around, hmm?" she winked at him.

"I dunno...Sapphire's?"

"Jeez, you're so mean, Alex," Ruby replied lightly.

Alex playfully shrugged, "You know me, hon, always the heartbreaker," and the young man stood up to stretch before helping Ruby onto her feet and guiding her into the living room. "So," the Commander began, tone somber, "I need to ask you something."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Lately, I've been thinking about the night I spent with Zinnia...I'm scared, and I don't know what to think...I mean, I think she likes me and I can't help but feel something drawing me to her...the scary part is that it's not even entirely sexual."

"Well, even if your experience with her didn't exactly capture your heart, that doesn't mean that it didn't have that affect on her. I mean...she _is_ the one that came back for _you_."

"But why?" Alex asked, "Why am I being drawn to her?"

"If you want my honest opinion," the dolphin began, "You're human...something that I'm not. You're twenty-two now, almost twenty-three...by this time, most humans are finding their mates and settling down with them, getting ready for marriage and children."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"Afraid? Why? It's perfectly normal. Sex's primary use is reproduction, pleasure is merely a byproduct. That's why it doesn't surprise me that your instinct is wanting you to be with her...she's a healthy, fertile, human female capable of giving you children..." she sobered, "Something that, once this little miracle is born, I will not be able to do."

"Have you been feeling this way towards Sapphire?"

Ruby paused for several moments before nodding, "To some degree, yes."

"Yet you're not acting on it?"

Ruby shrugged, "Well...I'm already pregnant. From a reproductive standpoint, I'm good to go until this little blessing is welcomed into the world," she grinned, rubbing her belly, "Come back and ask me again when I enter my next heat cycle after he's born."

"You think Cynder feels that way towards Spyro?"

"I think she _did_ , which is why her attachment was stronger to him. Now? I'm not so sure...it's not like there's a reproductive drive behind it anymore, since she can no longer bear children. So I'm sure that she's attached to whoever she feels safer, more comfortable with, more loved with...and if you want my honest opinion...that person is _you_. Congratulations, you've usurped Spyro as her favorite mate."

"Don't remind me..." Alex sighed, remembering how he had accidentally stabbed the she-dragon with his spear when the militia attacked Avione a few months earlier, "And somehow, that doesn't really make me feel better...honestly just makes me feel more like an asshole."

"Sorry," Ruby replied, "I meant that as a joke..."

"Yeah, I gotcha...I'm just afraid that there's more truth in it than there really should be."

Ruby shrugged, "Well, that's the way the cards fell...so what can you do? Besides, there's no sense in worrying about it," then changing the subject, "I've noticed that Cynder has been a lot less skittish since she moved here with us."

"Well, she doesn't have to worry about one of Spyro's outbursts anymore. The only problem is that she's worried about her kid."

"Which one?"

"Terra, the one who still lives with them?"

"Right...well, why don't she just bring her over here?"

"Because if Terra comes, no doubt we'll have Spyro at our doorstep all the time. He could take Cynder's departure, but neither of us think that he'll take Terra's without a fight."

"Guess you have a point."

"Yeah, I'm just as thrilled about is as you are, love," as Alex set to work on cleaning the house, Ruby, who was sitting at the table, watching, chuckled, "You know, I just had a funny thought."

"What?" Alex asked, sweeping the floor.

"What if Realm dragon culture had some kinda coming-of-age ceremony where a child had to go through an elder, chosen by its parents, to take their purity?"

"Oh hell no! Why would you even say something like that!?"

Ruby shrugged, "Just thought it'd be kinda funny..." then with a sly grin, "You don't want Cynder to choose you to claim Terra's innocence?"

"Fuck that! I ain't a pedophile!"

"Well, you _are_ a registered sex offender now, so I guess it wouldn't matter what for."

"Kiss my ass," Alex replied, but he said this with a light tone.

"I think it'd be kinda funny."

"Ruby, you read _way_ too many of those dragon books."

"Well it's not like I have anything else to do around here."

Alex shook his head, "Can't believe you'd say something like that."

"You know, some cultures actually have things like that."

"I know," Alex replied, "I research random shit, too."

"What things?" Cynder suddenly asked, stepping into the room.

"Ruby was just being disgusting," the Commander responded.

"What did she say?"

"You don't want to know."

"Actually, I kinda do."

Ruby interrupted, "I said it would be funny if Realm dragons had like this coming-of-age ceremony where a child had to go through an elder, or possibly an adult chosen by the parents, for their first sexual initiation."

"Oh, we did."

" _WHAT!?_ " Alex exclaimed.

"Yeah, but that was a _long_ , long time ago, it hasn't been practiced for hundreds of years. For example, if and when Terra would enter her first heat, Spyro and I would choose someone—generally a mentor or family friend—to mate her throughout the duration of that cycle. The proposed benefits varied, with the main one being that the first heat was generally considered the most likely to produce the healthiest clutch—and the biggest one at that—and positions of power—be it elders, mentors, or the best warriors—were thought to have the strongest genes, thus ensuring that the best genes were passed on to the next generation. Following the conclusion of the first heat, then the female would be allowed to get courted by one of the lower-ranked males in the tribe. Unfortunately, most of the time, the elders keptthe _best_ females exclusively for themselves and added them to their harem, pawning off the less-desirable females to the lower ranks, who basically got the bottom scraps: the 'worst' in the gene pool. Part of the reason why they retired that practice...it threatened to drive our species to extinction since the elders, often _very_ old by the time they staked their claim, would die off, leaving the females in their harems to remain unclaimed until _they_ passed, and the lesser females that _were_ allowed to the rest of the tribe would too often have smaller, less healthy clutches that were either too sickly or deemed too 'weak' to survive. Incest also became a rampant problem because of the lack of available females, so yeah, it was all around bad."

"Nobody wanted to buy used?" Alex chuckled.

"Impure females were extremely undesirable to males looking for new females to breed. So once the elders passed away, usually while their harem was still quite young, with many of the females just off their first heat even, the females ended up spending the rest of their lives living in chastity."

"Yet nobody minded that they were getting the elders' sloppy seconds in the _first_ place?"

"I know, it doesn't make sense but...that's the way things were," Cynder shrugged, "Females who were claimed by the elders in the first cycle—and no more after—weren't necessarily considered 'undesirably' impure, they were actually considered 'blessed' and as such were _highly_ desirable. Only ones who were kept by the elders after the first cycle ended were considered inherently worthless."

"So, in this period of time, were this practice still going on today, would you and Spyro end up giving Alex first dibs on Terra?" Ruby grinned.

Cynder glared at the dolphin, but shrugged, "It would depend if Spyro agreed on the choice...if so, then yes. But like I said, that happened hundreds of years ago, that practice stopped probably six, seven hundred years ago. Also, really, Ruby? I expected that kind of thing to be said from Piermont...not _you_ of all people...and no, I'm not even gonna consider anything like that. No offense, Alex, but the day I let you deflower Terra is the day _I_ get to mate your child, if he's a boy, or _Spyro_ gets to deflower it, if she's a girl...and for the record, I don't get off on molesting children, so I'm not going to take his innocence, nor will I let Spyro take hers if she's a girl."

"What the fuck, man!?" Alex exclaimed, disgusted.

"As if humans have any room to talk," Cynder replied slyly, "Your culture is more colorful and perverse than ours is."

"Not necessarily!"

"C'mon, Alex...the Classical and Middle Ages were a _very_ interesting time to be a human," the she-dragon replied cheekily, "And _not_ just because they drove most dragon species to extinction, either. Plus you get into the European colonization of the Americas..."

"Okay, I get the point," Alex replied bitterly.

"So there," Cynder replied, stabbing her thin, forked, reptilian tongue towards him.

They were suddenly interrupted by a rapid knock on the door, and exchanging glances, Alex walked over, cracking it open to spy Keisha standing there, out of breath. "Alex!" she peered in, "All of you! Come quickly! Something's going down in town center! Hurry!" and without another sound, the cheetah rocketed off, calling for the group to follow her.

"The hell...?" Alex managed speeding out the door, the others in tow. As they arrived in the square, where everyone was standing around, Alex groaned, "Oh for the love of..."

"Behold!" Piermont called in a powerful voice, standing atop and overturned vegetable stall, "The Lord God has spoken to me! And He has said that the time of prophecy's fulfillment is nigh on here! He spoke to me in a dream, He told me what to say, and He said that He would provide a sign so that all who doubt can believe that the word I speak are truth! Behold! For our Father who art in Heaven calls to us! He beckons are hearts to listen! And He shall reveal the sign of which the entire world shall see!" just as the human-form dragon said this, a miniature earthquake rocked the world, startling the townsfolk, and in a flash of light, another Minor Beam shot down from the sky directly behind the dragon, just outside of the city's walls. Instantly, the populace, crying out for mercy and forgiveness for their doubts, collapsed to their knees in a sign of worship towards the zealous 'prophet', "Here my words!" Piermont continued passionately, "The Beast is in our midst, as is the Whore of Babylon, carrying the son of the Beast within her womb!" and he pointed accusingly towards Alex, standing at the far back of the crowd with Ruby to his left and Keisha to his right. "But alas! Do not be afraid!" the dragon continued, "For we still have a chance to redeem ourselves!" he grinned, "Sister Keisha, bless you who brought the Antichrist and its mother to us! You have answered the angels' request on blind faith and trust, and for this you will be amply rewarded!"

" _What_!?" Alex exclaimed, turning to face the cheetah.

"I'm sorry, Alex," she replied, moving with Nala and Spyro to block off any retreat.

"Stand back!" Alex roared, "Or I won't hesitate to kill you!"

"Then I will be a martyr," the cheetah replied, "Blessed by God."

Alex turned to face the front of the crowd, trying to position himself between Ruby and any immediate threats, "What the _fuck_ are you doing, Pierre! Cut this shit out! _NOW!_ "

"I will not succumb to your empty threats!" the dragon roared, "God will protect me from you spawns of Hell!"

"You're fucking insane!" Alex exclaimed, "You're not some fucking prophet! You're a fucking madman!"

Instantly, the crowd erupted in exasperated gasps, chattering and sobbing among themselves.

The Commander continued, "And if any of you think that he's anything but, you're _ALL_ a bunch of fucking loons!"

"How dare you attack my congregation!" Piermont roared, "These students have come to me to hear the words of God, not to hear the mad mutterings of a damned creature!"

" _What!?_ " Alex sighed, exasperated, "Congregation? For fuck's sake, Pierre..." but before the Commander could say anything more, Piermont had swiftly dove into the crowd, yanking a young girl from within and hopping back up to his makeshift pedestal, holding a knife to her throat.

"Listen and listen well!" the dragon began again, instantly drawing the attention of the crowd. A woman's mad sobbing—most likely the mother of the girl—was the only sound emitting from the massive group, and the little girl herself was sniffling and sobbing, trying to remain quiet, "I do not want to spill the blood of an innocent...but if you won't turn over the Antichrist and its mother, I will have no choice but to bless this crowd by transferring our sins to this child.

The crowd all turned to face him, wearing expressions of hatred and disgust. From within, a male voice called, "Kill the dolphin! Cut the beast from her womb!" and almost immediately after, the crowd erupted into similar chants. Alex, extending a protective hand over Ruby, slowly backstepped towards his hut, finding that Sonic and Keisha stood between him and the exit.

Alex anxiously looking around, Ruby struggled to hold back tears, "What's going on...?"

"Don't worry, Ruby, I'll get you out of here."

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Nala rocketed out of the crowd, tackling Alex to the ground. While the lioness held him down, snarling viciously, Spyro and Sonic corralled Ruby through the crowd, throwing her down into a kneeling position before Piermont. The human-form dragon grinned, "Excellent!" and he released the girl, gently stroking her hair and shoving her down from his platform, hopping down himself, brandishing his knife and approaching her. "Ruby..." he began in a soothing tone, "We don't want to hurt you."

"STAY BACK!" Ruby cried, peddling away from him.

"We don't want to bring any harm to you or your mate," the dragon continued, "But your child will destroy us all... _it_ cannot remain here with us."

"He's my son you sadistic animal! I won't let you hurt him, or Alex, or anyone!"

The dragon paused in place, appearing genuinely sympathetic, "Your soul is lost...that is why you don't understand..." and he extended a hand towards her, "We can redeem you, we can purify your soul and turn it back to the Lord...but only if you rid yourself of that impure tumor leeching off your spirit. Let me bless you, you are our sister in the Lord, we are only trying to save you."

"I won't let you hurt him!" the dolphin roared, "I refuse!"

Looking away in despair, Piermont lowered his head and raised a hand, turning again, "Brothers and Sisters, the demon within is forcing her resistance...unless we exorcise it soon, I fear that her soul will be beyond salvation..." and he turned to face Keisha, "Sister Keisha, come here."

The cheetah, with a nod, holding back tears, did as she was told. Piermont placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "Beloved sister, as a reward for your trust in myself and God, I leave the purification to you...remove that taint from her womb, but spare her if you can..." and without another word, he returned to his podium, kneeling in prayer.

"NO!" Alex roared, fighting against Nala who held him firmly, "RUBY! I SWEAR TO GOD KEISHA! DON'T YOU _FUCKING_ DARE!"

The cheetah circled the frightened dolphin, "Please..." Ruby managed, "Don't...don't do this. He's just a child!"

"Forgive me, Sister Ruby..." Keisha replied, kneeling her head and launching forward.

"HELP!" the dolphin cried as she was tackled to the ground and held in place.

"MOTHER!" Tiberius roared, rocketing down the hill from Alex's longhouse, rushing to the square, Athena right on his heels. Before they could reach, however, Piermont stood upright, summoning earthen pillars from the ground to close over the male raptor's feet, pulling him down. Athena continued on, and this time, it was _Terrias_ who stepped forward, using his _own_ terrakinesis to restrain her.

"What are you doing, Terrias!?" Alex exclaimed, heart sinking, "Why!?"

"I'm sorry, Alex..." the servine replied, "Just...let Piermont do what he needs to do."

"This impure soul seeks salvation and forgiveness," Piermont replied, smiling warmly and placing a comforting hand on the servine's shoulder. Terrias only shrugged him off, bearing his teeth in disgust.

"I'm not interested in your salvation," he scowled, "And I don't believe in this prophet bullshit...I'm only doing this for Ruby's sake. If Deitus is brought back into the world, it _will_ be Armageddon."

Ruby tried to overthrow Keisha as the cheetah tore into her abdomen with her razor-sharp claws, attempting to forcefully remove the developing calf from within. Blood ran freely from the wound as Ruby's elongated womb, slick and red, began to shine through the ravaged flesh, and the dolphin stilled. Piermont raised a hand to the sky, "May God bless this corrupt soul and purify her from the influence of the Morning Star, the fallen archangel Lucifer."

"RUBY!" Alex howled, feeling sick to his stomach and on the verge of fainting. His vision blurred, dangerous black circles formed at the edges of his eyes, closing in on him, and he felt lightheaded. At last, his vision darkened and he felt to the ground, collapsing into the all-encompassing black void. A scream soon roused him from the dangerous edge of consciousness...but not from Ruby. His eyes snapped open again, and his jaw dropped as he spied Keisha being held aloft several feet above Ruby, impaled upon a massive ice spike, painted red in blood and gore. Blue sparks dancing across the dolphin's body, nearly rendering her invisible, Ruby stood upright, forcefully pulling the spike back into the ground, and with a furious roar, she summoned the spike again, this time from behind her, and lifted it out of the ground, repeatedly slamming it down upon the dazed Keisha's head and body. Before anyone could stop her, the dolphin raced off towards the gates of the compound, tearing them from their hinges using watery tendrils that encircled her, and she disappeared in the woods beyond.

"No!" Alex exclaimed, "Ruby!" and he forcefully kneed Nala in the groin, sprinting off after the dolphin. The lioness prepared to give chase, but Piermont held up a hand, calling her off.

"They have chosen to leave my sermon early," the dragon replied, "So be it, let them wander in the wilderness, and I pray to almighty God that the wild dogs devour their corpses."

"But the child is still alive!" a voice called out from the crowd.

"No worries," Piermont continued, "Ruby is a murderer, if she returns, we will hang both her and her twisted mate from the gallows..." and he climbed back onto his pedestal.

"You son of a _bitch_!" a harsh voice rang out, and before the dragon was even aware of what was going on, Cynder tackled him from behind, snarling and laying into him. Instantly the crowd moved in to intercept, but the she-dragon, teeth gnashing, claws slashing, unleashed every elemental breath at her disposal to drive them off. Piermont held firm against the onslaught, protecting his face from her sharp claws with his thick, leather gauntlets. She closed her jaws around his arm, viciously tearing it to-and-fro, attempting to break through his armor. He threw a punch, landing a blow in her snout and slicing open his fist on one of her claws. She stumbled backwards, shaking her head to recover from the hit before leaping forward again, bring her forepaw down in a slash across his cheek. The attack landed, and Piermont howled as she sliced into his face in a spray of blood and skin. She moved to close her jaws over his throat, but before she could, Spyro launched from the crowd and tackled her to the ground, holding her steadfast and bearing his teeth in a homicidal fury. "You cunt!" he snarled, "How _DARE_ you!"

She wriggle free from his restraining grasp, managing to stand upright again before he swiped his _own_ claws against her, and she cried out as she was knocked effortlessly to the side. Spyro, lost in his fury, approached her to deal the finishing blow, but Piermont hissed, "No! Don't defile yourself with the blood of that whore!"

The purple dragon turned to face Piermont, resting on his elbows, an empty orbit now marking where his left eye—now loosely hanging on his cheek by the frayed and shredded optic nerve—once lay. Cynder's claws had also filleted part of his scalp, cracking his skull, and a piece of bone has snapped away from his empty eye orbit, poking out above his eyebrow like a jagged, bloody horn. His entire face was painted red and unrecognizable in the aftermath of the attack, and his tanned leather tunic and gauntlets were now stained a deep, dark maroon. Spyro once more turned to face Cynder, managing a grin at the sight of the sobbing she-dragon, laying in a pool of her own growing blood. "Let's see if Alex wants to fuck your pretty face now, huh?" the bull dragon snarled, helping Piermont to his feet and leading him back towards his hut.


	8. Chapter VII: Adjudicator

_**Chapter VII**_ **:**

 **-''Adjudicator''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _18 June 2016_ -**

 **- _1704 Hours_ -**

"Ruby!" Alex called, stumbling through the woods, "Ruby!? Where are you!?"

He paused in the middle of the tundra, covering his eyes against the blowing snow and bitter winds. He scanned the rapidly darkening snowfield, searching for any sign of his mate.

"Ruby!?" he called, cupping his hands to his mouth, " _RUBY!_ "

Before too long, night had fallen over the wilderness and the blizzard had intensified. As the cold settled into his bones and he could feel his limbs numbing, he felt weak, disoriented. All around him, the snowstorm ravaged the darkened world, and it became increasingly hard to think.

"Ruby..." he muttered, collapsing to his knees, "Where are you..." he managed before falling forward o the ground, consciousness winking away from him, and he fell into the all-enveloping darkness, as cold as the winter weather.

 _You are alone...your friends have betrayed you..._

Alex awoke from a gruesome dream, a nightmare in which he was being torn apart piece by piece. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he was no longer outside in the snow, likely to have been buried by now. Instead, he was in a cave, the whistling of the wind echoing through the labyrinthine chambers provided an eerie, almost haunting ambiance. He heard the crackling of a fire, and he turned to see that a raging campfire had been set up in the center of the cavern, he had been stripped of his clothes, wrapped in a blanket, and placed beneath the flames.

Looking around the room, he spied Ruby laying, unconscious, on the opposite side of the fire, and he instantly was on his feet, racing over to her and cradling her in his arms. He placed an ear against her chest, only to hear a low voice say, "She's alive."

Alex glanced up to spy the voice's source, seeing Jazz hop over to him, handing him a bowl of hot soup, "What were you doing out there? Kira was out hunting and she found you half-buried in the snow."

"Piermont's lost his fucking mind," the Commander replied, wrapping the blanket around both himself and his mate.

"Yeah? Tell me something I _don't_ know," the rabbit continued, sipping at his cup, "Anyway, this storm isn't going to let us go anywhere...we'll have to wait for it passes before we can head back to Vernhelm."

"No, it's _much_ worse than you realize," Alex continued, "Piermont thinks he's a prophet of God, has managed to convince half the settlement, _including_ most of Alpha Company. He tried to have Keisha tear out our son from Ruby's womb."

"Jesus..." the rabbit sighed, "I know he was insane, I didn't think things were _this_ bad yet."

"Even _Terrias_ was with him..." Alex frowned, looking sadly away, "I can't trust _anyone_ anymore."

"Well, I'd hope you can still trust me," Jazz replied, "We might have an...interesting history...but if it weren't for Kira and I, you _both_ would have froze to death out there."

"Hey! He's awake!" Kira exclaimed, as if on cue, entering the cave and dragging a freshly-killed buck behind her, "Hell were you two doing out there?"

"Looks like the situation with Piermont is worse than we realized..." the rabbit replied, nodding towards Alex, and handing Kira a bowl of soup, "He tried to have Ruby killed."

"Not Ruby," the Commander interrupted, "He had Keisha try to cut out our son...she's dead now. Ruby slaughtered her, then ran off. I left to try and find her..." and after several minutes, Alex stiffened, "Shit! Cynder! God I hope _she_ managed to get away. If Piermont is hunting down anyone who supports Ruby, it's only a matter of time before he targets her, too...especially since Spyro's on his side..." then, "I can't believe Terrias would betray me..."

"What happened with Terrias?"

"He sided with Piermont," Alex frowned, "It's like I can't trust _anyone_ anymore."

"Somebody needs to put him out of his misery," Kira replied, "He's clearly suffering."

"Yeah...well as long as he has his 'congregation', there's no way we'll be able to get close enough to reach him. I'm afraid that Ruby and I are vastly outnumbered."

"Where was Reverend or Dash or the raptors and all of 'em?" Jazz asked.

"Terrias and Piermont intercepted Tiberius and Athena before they could help, Rapid didn't even try to do anything...he looked to frightened to act. As for Dash...I don't know _what_ happened to her..." the Commander gently stroked his mate, beginning to stir, "Ruby's not safe...we need to figure out something to do."

"Don't let her leave the house," Kira replied, "There's always _one_ of us there to keep an eye on her."

"How are we even gonna get back to Vernhelm?" the Commander asked, "I mean...Piermont's got the whole fucking settlement standing behind him!"

"You have room for a couple of more guests?" Jazz asked, "My suggestion is to collect everyone you _know_ you can trust and keep them close. When we get back to the settlement, I'll talk to Reverend, if you have some place we can stay, we'll stick around with you."

"No offense, but how can I be so sure I can trust you?"

"Cause I do," Kira replied, "He's safe."

"It might not be much...but the Reverend and I can at least provide an additional line of defense against Piermont and his followers, should the need arise. I advise everyone stays inside and either leaves when nobody else is around, or send someone like Kira or myself out to get supplies while you lock yourselves in...at least until we find a way to resolve all of this."

"Yeah," Kira replied, "Plus, the more people you have around as security, the less chance of any harm coming to Ruby."

"I also wouldn't advertise she's still around," Jazz continued, "You said that she ran away...is there any reason why they would think she could potentially be dead or missing? If we can sneak her back inside, they won't know she's still alive."

"And what if they see me? They won't find it the least bit suspicious that I'd just _give up_ looking for her?"

"Easy," Kira began, popping her neck muscles, "Don't show yourself to them, let them believe you and her are both gone."

"Perhaps..." Alex replied, gently stroking Ruby's snout, "How are we gonna convince her to stay low?"

"I doubt it'll take much convincing," Jazz replied with a smirk, "Especially if everything happened as you said it did. Anyway, just rest here until the blizzard passes, we can worry about getting back to the settlement after the fact and what to do then after the fact."

Kira snorted, "Not like we can go anywhere right now anyway, at the rate it's going out there, we'll be snowed in in a few hours."

"Ruby..." the Commander said sadly, stroking the creature, curling against her, and drifting to sleep.

Early the next morning, Alex guided Ruby flanked by Jazz and Kira, back into his longhouse, eyes snapping up and snarling upon spying Terrias kneeling before the fire, tending to Cynder. The servine's eyes shot up to the meet the Commander's, and he stood upright, bracing himself. "Alex..." he began, lowering his head shamefully, "I'm sorry...I didn't think Piermont would..."

"Get out of my house," Alex snarled, "I don't want to see you anywhere around here, understand? Next time I do, I'm killing you, too."

Terrias slowly nodded, "I understand..." then, "Goodbye, Alex..." and the Commander stepped aside, placing a protective hand on Ruby as the servine exited the building.

Once he was gone, Alex led Ruby to bed before running over to where Cynder lay, smiling sadly towards him, holding a bloodstained rag to her face. "Are you okay?" he asked, gently pulling the cloth away. Her face had been nearly skinned, the cuts deep and jagged. In addition, her beautiful, blue-green eye was now clouded over and a bright, unhealthy red, bulging slightly from its socket as if struggling to remain inside. "What happened!?"

"Spyro got me..." she replied, saddened, "But I got Piermont back, twice as bad...he doesn't have an eye anymore..."

Alex, frowning, stood up, digging out his Desert Eagle from the drawer and loading a fresh clip into it, "I'm tired of that little prick's bullshit, I'm finishing this once and for all."

"Alex! Wait! Don't!" and Cynder leaped to her feet, shoving herself against him and restraining him against the wall, "Don't do anything stupid! It'll only make things worse!"

"Not if they're dead."

"Don't hurt them! You saw how rabid and fanatic those people are! They'll skin us alive if they find out we did something!"

The Commander paused in place, bearing his teeth in disgust as he replaced the safety and lowered his weapon, placing it onto the table and leaning forward over a chair. "Fucking bullshit!" he hissed, "I'm about ready to go on a mass fucking killing spree myself! I'm tired of _ALL_ of this shit!"

"Hopefully Piermont will do something to get himself killed," Cynder continued, voice low.

"And Terrias?"

"He didn't know Pierre would do something like _that_...I think you were kinda harsh on him. Even _Tiberius_ has already forgiven him..." and the Commander glanced up to spy the two raptors, clinging tightly to each other, enter the kitchen from his room. Upon spying the exhausted but alert Ruby standing there, Athena quickly raced up to her adopted mother, tackling the dolphin to the ground and covering her in kisses with her rough, sandpaper-like tongue. Tiberius merely stood by, watching the duo, expression unreadable, casting Alex a grave look, but nothing more.

"What happened to Alpha Company?" Alex lamented, "Why have they turned against us?"

"I think Pierre's corruption is spreading through to them," Jazz replied, in his rough, low, raspy, almost off-Russian-accented voice, "It's like an infection, anyone who's exposed via the mutual mind bank is susceptible...we're just some of the lucky ones to be free from his madness..." the rabbit's eyes snapped back and forth between everyone in the room, "At least for now. I agree with Cynder that Terrias didn't know what was going to happen-"

"You weren't there!" Alex snarled.

"Just hear me out," the rabbit replied, "Terrias is intelligent and sly, but he cannot hide the hatred and disgust in his gaze, his eyes tell all you need to know about how he feels about you. There was no animosity when he saw Ruby, only sorrow, regret. He's innocent, and likely one of the few friends we _do_ still have."

"Regardless," Alex hissed, "He even said that he thinks Ruby should kill our son! It doesn't matter if he wants it done the same way that Piermont does, he's still against our child!"

"Fair enough..." the rabbit replied, "Although I think you're making a mistake, alienating and misjudging him."

With Kira tending to Cynder's wounds and Jazz heading outside to skin and prepare the results of their hunt, Alex calmed down and approached the two raptors, laying in a tangled ball together on the floor beside Ruby, who had returned to sleep. He sat down beside them extending a hand to pet them, but only Athena accepted his touch, clicking in content, eyes closed and expression one of pleasure as he stroked down her back, tracing the bright red, almost pink stripe in her scales along her spine. Tiberius, easily distinguishable from his twin sister by the two, cobalt blue stripes running parallel to his spine on his upper flanks, recoiled, hissing briefly towards him before laying down once again, carefully eyeing how the Commander treated his beloved sister. "How are you two doing?" Alex asked, "You both okay?"

Athena nodded, opening her yellow-green, reptilian eyes and licking Alex's face, "Yes...thank you for bringing Mother home." Both her and her brother had impressed upon Ruby following their hatching, and now both considered her as their mother.

"What about you Tiberius?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Thanatos," the raptor male replied, and Alex sighed, having long-since given up convincing Tiberius that he was no longer the Reaper general Thanatos, creator of the human/triceratops hybrid Aphrodite, the _actual_ creator of both Tiberius and Athena as well as their feral brethren, used and abused by the sentient, genocidal machines known as the Reaper Armada as shock troops and additional cannon fodder in their mission to drive humanity to extinction, an event the machines called the 'Harvest'.

"Dear Brother, why do you distrust our father so?" Athena asked.

The male raptor, bigger than his sister with scales much grayer than his Athena's muddy-brown ones, snorted, "Thanatos created our lost brethren, Sister. He is to blame for our suffering."

"Mother says he's our father and that we should treat him as such..."

"He is a cold, heartless monster, undeserving of our respect. He will never earn it for as long as I live, not after what he did to our brethren."

"They were lost, feral...designed only to mindlessly slaughter and devour...expendable. They tried to kill _us_ remember?"

Tiberius snorted yet again, clicking angrily and hissing towards Alex, bearing the countless razor-sharp fangs lining his muzzle, tail flicking back and forth in a tell-tale sign of hatred, "Ares and Thanatos ordered their creation! The lost were not created by _accident_ , _WE_ were created by accident!"

Athena sighed, affectionately nuzzling Alex's chest before resting her head on her paws again. The young man picked himself up, quietly leaving the room, with Tiberius' gaze following his every movement until the Commander was out of sight before resting his head against his sister's once again, blinking unhappily against the broken memories of his fallen brethren, still haunting his mind thanks to the hive mind that they all once shared when the Reapers were still alive.

Upon leaving his room, Alex spied Azazel standing by, wearing a scared expression, watching Kira tend to Cynder, "Wha-what happened?" the demon goat-boy asked, bearing his fangs in fear, "I-I heard that Piermont did some bad things but...will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine, squirt," Kira replied affectionately, "Just got banged up a bit, that's all. Gonna take a helluva lot more to put this bad bitch down," and the harpy chuckled, "Don't worry about her."

Noticing his adopted father, Zaz asked, "So...is it true what happened to mama?"

Reluctantly, the Commander nodded and Azazel, collapsing into tears, ran towards Alex, burying his head in the young man's chest. Alex rubbed his back, attempting to soothe him, "Don't worry, Zaz, mama's all right, just had a little scare, that's all."

"Will she be okay?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, she can't get beat _that_ easily...she's in the other room if you wanna go see her, I'm sure she'll be happy to see _you_ ," and with an affectionate rub of the head between his floppy ears and tiny, curved demon horns, Alex broke off the contact, stepping aside to allow the goat boy to rush past him and into the bedroom.

The Commander turned to face Kira, who only sighed, shaking her head, "I love that little rascal, 'course I love kids...but yeah, think Zaz is my favorite person here."

"Thanks for the compliment," Alex replied, feigning offense.

"Aww c'mon, you know I love you, too, dumbass," she hugged him, "Even if you are just a great big, squishy human."

"Yeah..." Alex managed, struggling to breathe from beneath the harpy's suffocatingly-strong embrace, "Thanks, Kira."

"Which reminds me," she laughed, breaking the hug, "When are you going to give _me_ kids? That was part of the deal, remember?"

"Was it? I thought it was just so I didn't get killed and _you_ didn't die a virgin?"

She playfully scoffed, "Well, I figured that I wouldn't _have_ to declare that I want children. I mean...kids _are_ kinda the purpose of sex after all..."

"How about this then," Alex grinned, "When you go back into heat, come find me and we'll try again."

"Yeah, yeah...you're no fun," she replied with a grin, standing up, "Anyway, I should probably go help Jazz...God forbid he breaks a nail."

"That's homophobic," Alex chuckled.

"Like I really care?" Kira replied with a chuckle, waving him off, "You know I like the bastard, he's got bigger balls than everyone else, swear to God. He's tougher than _me_...but you didn't hear me say that."

Alex reentered his room, ignoring Tiberius' dangerous glare as he walked over to Ruby's side of the bed, where Azazel was sitting down beside his adopted mother, hugging her and crying into her chest. Ruby smiled towards the Commander, beckoning him to join them. Sitting down across from her, Alex asked, "So...do we need to go pay Miss Lyons a visit?"

The dolphin shook her head, "No...I think I'm okay this time."

"They didn't damage anything when they were playing around in your guts did they?"

The dolphin chuckled, "No, everything is exactly where it should be...I think," and she winked at him, a seductive glimmer in her eyes, " _Everything_."

"One second you get ripped to shreds, and the very next, you're ready for sex...damn girl. You just had something inside you, why do you want something _else_?"

"What? I can't help it!" she frowned, "It's _your_ fault!"

"Yeah well, let's wait a while on the fun time, huh? Least until we make sure that everything _is_ indeed where it belongs."

She sighed a whistle in her tone, "Fine..."

"Good girl," and he pet her affectionately, kissing the top of her head, "Oh, and try to stay way from the First Church of Piermont next time, huh?"

They both turned to face Azazel, merely exchanging glances between the two.

"Oh..." Alex began with a nervous laugh, "Sorry about that, Zaz."

The goat boy shrugged, "My... _real_ father...was much worse...it's nothing I haven't heard...or seen...before. Anyway...um..." he stood up, "I probably should go get supper ready..."

"What are you gonna make?" the Commander asked.

Zaz shrugged, "I don't know, I haven't decided yet. Anything in particular you want?"

"Surprise us, son."

Azazel smiled coyly before turning on his heels and quickly prancing out of the room. "I'm glad that we saved him," Ruby replied, "Such a wonderful son... _all_ of our kids are wonderful."

"Indeed they are," Alex hugged his mate, "You're pretty cool, too."

She smiled shyly, blushing and affectionately smacking his arm, "Shush."

The Commander smiled, scratching her belly, "I love you, Ruby."

She smiled back, "I love you, too, Alex."

With a heavily guarded Ruby staying back at the Commander's longhouse, Alex, Cynder, and Azazel headed to the market together to gather ingredients for supper that night. While perusing through the fresh fruits and vegetables, brought to them from Whiterun down south, loud bickering caught their attention. At first they ignored it, but when three unusual characters passed by, Alex and Cynder turned to face their new arrivals, exchanging anxious glances. They seemed to be in their teens, all three were female. The first had blonde hair, eyes a brilliant, almost unnatural blue. The second had alternating red-and-green hair, her right eye the color of blood, the left as green as grass. The third and final one had purple and black hair, her eyes a bright, eerie gold. While Zaz continued on, shopping for supplies, Alex and Cynder approached them, suspicious.

"Well what were you two even doing there in the _first_ place?" the blonde asked.

The golden-eyed girl responded, "Well, I _could_ ask you the same thing, Syn."

The blonde—Syn—frowned, "First of all, that is a _really_ long story, and secondly, I asked you first!"

"Excuse me," Alex grunted, interrupting them, "Who the hell are you?"

"Okay," Syn replied, turning to face the Commander, "You are being very rude, good sir! Please go sit down and wait your turn, I will be with you in a minute."

Ignoring the Commander, the purple-haired girl continued, "Well, Faythe and I decided to go to the creepypasta-verse, stumbled across some shitty remake of that calls himself 'Wraith', and we kinda chased him all over the place until we ended up there. Not sure how, really. Now what about you."

"HEY!" Alex roared, shoving himself between them, "I asked you a question!"

Before anything else could be said, Syn grabbed Alex and tossed him back, continuing, "Well, like I said, that's a _very_ long story, and I still need to see what this..." she glanced at the Commander, "Gentleman...wants...now what were you saying before?"

"Who the _fuck_ are you?"

"That's an even longer story," Syn turned back to her companions, "Now, moving on...the short version of it is that some shit went down in Equestria and Alex got himself stuck somewhere around here...now I'm looking for him..." she then pause, looking around, "Why does this place look like Skyrim?"

"Probably because it _IS_ Skyrim, dumbass!" Alex hissed, "Now who the hell are you and what the _fuck_ are you doing in my town? Did the guards let you in?" he called towards a few Stormcloaks—on loan from Ulfric—who passed by, "Hey! Who let these girls in?"

But Synthia, wearing a puzzled—even worried—expression ignored them, "But...that's not possible..." she shook her head, "I was nowhere _close_ to there when I left...and _they_ certainly weren't either...how the hell could we have ended up here...?"

The purple-haired girl replied, "Very interesting question, Synthia, but _maybe_ you'd like to start paying more attention to the situation at hand? Have you, perhaps, forgotten about the beast patrolling the Omniverse, collapsing it?"

The click of a handgun attracted their attention, and they both turned, wearing bored expressions, to where Alex stood, pointing his Desert Eagle at them, "Explain yourself, or I _will_ shoot!"

The red-and-green-haired girl then turned to face Alex, grinning arrogantly, "Go ahead, see what happens."

Synthia turned to her companion, whispering, "I know we can take pretty much anything these assholes throw at us, but perhaps we should avoid pissing them off until we know just what the hell is going on."

" _I'M_ the asshole? You're the cunts who blatantly disrespected me in my own territory. Oh, and you're trespassing, which as far as I'm concerned, is grounds for execution. Now, I'm going to ask one more time, who are you and what the hell are you doing in my town?" Alex hissed, relieving the safety from his weapon.

"Well, shooting us isn't gonna get you the answers you so desperately want, so please put that away and we can talk calmly about this. Cause I actually have more than a few questions for you as well."

"Perhaps we should, Alex..." Cynder replied, attempting to defuse the situation.

After several tense seconds, and with a scowl, the Commander replaced the safety, slipping the handgun back into the holster at his waist, "First, I want you to tell me...how do you feel about the Antichrist walking the earth?"

"Well, if he ever decides to suddenly materialize from that delightful book of fairy tales, I suppose I could give him a very small, desolate section of Earth to rule over before telling him to fuck off. Now, if we could please be a bit more serious here, who are you?"

Once more, Alex exchanged glances with Cynder, "Fine...come with me, it's not safe here."

"You sure you want to let these guys around Ruby? Or Rapid for that matter?" Cynder asked in an unsure tone.

"Reverend will get over it, as for Ruby..." he stared them down, "I don't think they really care about her."

Back in Alex's longhouse, the Commander checked up on his sleeping mate before slipping back into the living room and confronting the girls, sitting at the table, "Okay, you first. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"My name is Synthia. That's Faythe, and the other girl beside me is Violet. As for what we're doing here, I was hoping you could answer that question, because 'the middle of Skyrim' shouldn't have been on the list of possibilities. Furthermore, what's Cynder doing here? Shouldn't she be in the Skylands or something? The Dragon Realms? Which Cynder even is she?"

"Which Cynder...?" the she-dragon asked, blinking, incredulous, "That doesn't even make sense!"

"Do I look like I know?" the Commander spat, "You're the bastards who showed up here. This is where I live."

"Do you think they might have something to do with _Filios Diaboli_?" Azazel asked, suddenly entering the room, washing and chopping vegetables, "My real dad had friends everywhere..." the demon goat boy frowned, stroking the tiny, glowing blue crystal shard dangling around his neck from a string.

Violet whispered to Synthia. "It's hard to tell, but I'd say she's from _Legend of Spyro_ , because who the fuck wants anything to do with Skylanders?"

Ignoring them, Alex replied, "They don't seem to be connected with those bastards...but what the hell do I know anymore. Three days ago, I never would have expected Terrias, Piermont, and the rest of Alpha to attempt—and nearly succeed—in tearing Ruby's womb from her body. I don't even know _what_ to think anymore."

Cynder frowned, sighing and gingerly touching her blind eye, "Yeah...and I never, in my life, would have expected Spyro to do this to me... _especially_ since we're mates."

"Well, if it's any consolation," Zaz continued, "They don't look familiar anyway."

"Anyway," Alex said, turning to face the three girls, " _What_ are you? Because you sure don't look human to me. Eyes and hair is weirding me out."

"Half-human, actually. Also, have you not heard of heterochromia and hair dye?" Faythe—the red-and-green-haired girl—asked.

Alex smirked, "Good to know that I'm not the only fucking zoophile on the planet. So what's the other half then? Dog? Dragon? Demon? Ooh! How about cow? No, pig? Dolphin?"

"Omniversal, actually. But thanks for letting us know about your fucked up preferences. Really needed to know that," Violet said, cringing from disgust.

"Great..." Alex spat, fishing out a bottle of mead, "Another one of _you_ fuckers...haven't you done enough damage? Take your fucking Breakers back with you, we don't want them," and taking a swig, he chuckled, "Meh...get me drunk enough...you'd be fuckable, too."

"Alex?" Ruby suddenly asked, entering the living room and yawning sleepily, "What's going on? Who are these people?"

"Nobodies," the Commander replied, "No need to worry about it, love."

The dolphin frowned, "Have I seen you before?"

Synthia said, ignoring Alex, "Okay. Either I'm high, or Raziel finally got a sense of humor. Seriously, Raz? Talking dolphins that walk on their tail fins? Kinda going a bit far, aren't you?"

Violet, speaking for all three of them, said, "None of us are interested in dick that's touched animal pussy, sorry."

"Fuck you," Alex spat, "Ruby does it better anyway," he smirked.

Faythe, returning to the conversation at hand, asked, "Breakers? The hell are you talking about? And what do you mean _more_ of us?"

"Are you really that dumb? I thought everybody in the Omniverse knew about those fucking things...at least, according to your fuckbuddies who came here awhile back. To put it into layman's terms for you, Breakers are shattering these Beam things that keep the Omniverse and the Base World apart...something that's apparently really bad mojo. As for more of you, those Vigil and Viola goons...where the hell did they even go, anyway? Haven't seen them in awhile..."

"You can blame Virgil for the Breakers," Azazel sighed, "All the more reason we need to take him down."

"I _have_ seen you before..." the dolphin frowned, "I dreamed about you...you're hunting down Virgil, aren't you?"

"What?" the Commander asked, "You know them?"

She shook her head, "No...but I've seen them in my dreams..." and she rubbed her pregnant belly anxiously.

"Oh, I'm sure she does. What even happened? Get rejected by too many normal people, so you had to go fuck your pet to make yourself feel better?" Violet responded.

"You son of a bitch!" Alex roared, storming forward, but Cynder restrained him, holding him firm, "Don't, Alex...fighting isn't going to get you anywhere."

"These fucking loons have no idea what they're talking about!"

Cynder turned to face Violet, "There's more to it than just that, don't attack something without at first exploring as to _why_ the things are the way they are."

Following this, Faythe added, "Violet, please. shut up. Pissing them off isn't gonna get anything done. Even if you're probably right."

Meanwhile, Synthia turned to Ruby, confused and irritated, "I don't have any clue who the fuck you're talking about. Faythe and Violet are here by accident, and I'm only here to look for my brother!" she then turns to a fuming Alex, "And you're gonna help me find him."

"I don't take orders from bitchy little girls like you," Alex snarled, "I have more important matters to worry about than your missing brother."

"Maybe we should help them..." Cynder suggested, "If they _are_ Omniversals...perhaps they can help us take out Vergil."

Alex glared at them, "Cynder, how do we know we can trust them?"

"You brought them here, didn't you? If you didn't at least trust them a _little_ bit, I highly doubt you would have brought them here, where they can be exposed to Ruby...especially considering everybody wants her dead."

"Fine...but if we help you find your fucking brother, you incestuous piece of shit, you're helping us hunt down and kill Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_."

Cynder sighed, "Why? Are you _trying_ to piss them off?"

"They're assholes!"

"And _you_ aren't helping matters," she turned to Synthia, "I deeply apologize, he didn't mean to say such things."

"Bite me," Alex spat, sticking a cigarette in his mouth and storming outside. Cynder only turned to face her human mate, watching as he left before sighing and shaking her head.

Synthia smirked, "Sounds like he meant it to me. In any case, he needs to do a lot better than that to piss me off. Back to to the matter at hand. We're not helping you with jack shit. But you're still gonna help us. Why? Well..." she trailed off, reaching into her back pocket, dropping an orange and white tail on the ground, "I think this belongs to you. Well, more accurately, I assume it belongs to Tails, who even more accurately, belongs in his own damn universe, but since we ended up here, I assume that means you know him. And we're the only ones that can bring the rest of him back to you."

Cynder fell silent, stunned speechless, "He...he's alive?" violently shaking her head in denial, she said, voice small, "No...Tails...he's dead," she turned to face them, "He died three years ago. He...drove a bomb into a genesis port...detonated it to separate our two worlds...how did you get this?"

"Well... it just kinda fell off of him. He took a really bad ass kicking. Whoever did it clearly enjoys it too, cause right after he died... again, apparently... the whole world kinda reset around us and he was alive, in one piece."

"I..." Cynder shook her head, "I can't believe this...it's not possible..." and she hurried away.

Soon, Ruby was the only one left in the room, and the dolphin turned to face them, asking in a small, frightened voice, "Are you going to hurt us, too?"

"Too? We haven't hurt anyone yet. Even though your boyfriend over there is really asking for it. So don't worry. You're safe. Though I can't say the same for Schrodinger's Fox back there. So, you'd best hope that everyone decides that they want him back." Violet responded.

"Alex is...there's a lot going on in the world today...we're very close to the end of the world, his entire unit—including his best friend—have betrayed them. He's a fugitive and..." she frowned, "There's just...there's a lot going on...it has us all scared, and it seems that everyone we meet wants to kill us," she rubbed her belly again, "Or at least kill our son...I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help you find your brother...but please, if there is anything you can do to help us destroy _Filios Diaboli_...we could really use your help."

"Unless we're actually needed, we can't interfere with your world's events any further than just being here in the first place. Hell, we shouldn't even be talking to you." Violet replied.

"Aside from that, we don't really feel like walking all over Skyrim looking for my brother ourselves. For whatever reason, our powers don't seem to be working at the moment, otherwise we'd be gone already." Synthia added.

Ruby sighed, "I suppose so..."

Terrias let himself into Piermont's house after night had fallen and everyone else had retired. "Pierre?" the servine asked, gently closing the door and walking through the eerie dark, emptiness of the shack. The interior was trashed in several places, results of Piermont losing control of himself, and upon looking up, the servine was stunned to see snow falling from a massive, scorched hole in the ceiling, collecting in the center of the room. "You in here?" the servine asked.

"So...my favorite disciple has arrived," the dragon chuckled, and Terrias turned towards the voice, seeing the silhouette of his human form resting in a chair, sitting in a shadowy corner, puffing at a cigarette. The human-form dragon's back was to him, and Piermont asked in a cold voice, "What do you bring, Terrias?"

Expression cold and blank, Terrias answered, "Ruby is alive...she and Alex are back home."

"Of course she is," the dragon chuckled darkly, "That's old news..."

"You knew?"

"She's still connected to the mind bank...her mental presence has yet to go dark. I can feel it writhing and squirming aimlessly about, coating everything it contacts in toxic sludge...like a clump of worms squirming around in my head."

"Of course...sorry."

"No worries..." Piermont replied, "But I have a task for you."

"Anything."

"I need you to be my eyes...and I need you to keep them wide open..." and the dragon chuckled, turning around at last to face the servine. Where his left eye used to be now held an empty, cracked, dark socket, and the skin around his cheek had almost been peeled entirely away, revealing bone and muscle beneath, "As you can see...I'm missing one..." in the light of the fire burning in the hearth, his face had an almost evil, demonic appearance, and with his grin, came the eerie creaking of tanned muscle.

"Can you grow it back?"

The dragon chuckled darkly, "Beyond the abilities of the serum. You can shoot me, stab me, drop me from the Empire State Building...but it can't grow back missing body parts, else little _Ali_ would still have his arm...all the more reason why we need to neuter that fucking dolphin."

"What will you have me do?"

"Well...aside from spaying Ruby, I want you to give a little present to that whore Cynder...give her the same makeover she gave me, I would _love_ to show her my appreciation for my new look..." then, "Find a way to get back into Alex's inner circle, make him lose his defenses, and as soon as the moment arrives, bring me Cynder and Ruby's heads."

Terrias nodded, "I will try."

"God bless you."

The servine said nothing, only nodded again before seeing himself out. Piermont leaned back in his chair, inhaling deeply from his cigarette and blowing the smoke through the breach in the roof, mumbling with a mad grin, "Good morning, Starshine."

The flapping of wings instantly attracted Piermont's attention, and before he had a chance to respond, he was thrown across the room by an unseen entity. As he picked himself up, he felt a strong, hard, scaly grip, as cold as ice, grab his throat, lift him into the air, and pin him to the wall. In the moonlight shining through the hole in the roof, a bronze-armored knight stood before him, wearing dragon-inspired armor, " _The child!_ " it hissed in a deep, faintly feminine voice, " _Where is the child!?_ "

"Why don't you look for the fucking dolphin walking around," Piermont managed in a hoarse voice before he was thrown across the room again. Withdrawing a dagger hidden in his blood-stained tunic, he launched towards the statuesque knight, slowly walking towards him. It grabbed his arm as he brought the blade down, twisting the limb around and forcing him to drop the knife before the creature flipped him over its shoulder and tossed him into the wall.

" _Tell me where the child is!_ " it roared again.

"And pray tell why you care?" he choked, picking himself up, only to be grabbed by the throat and pinned to the wall again, this time with the cold steel of a knife pressed firmly against his throat, drawing blood.

" _He must pay for his sins against Messoremel!_ "

"And who are you, huh?" Piermont chuckled, "You don't scare me."

" _I am the Adjudicator_ ," it hissed, " _I've been assigned by God Himself to cleanse this world of the demons that walk the earth._ "

"You delusional piece of shit..." he cackled, gasping for breath at the same time, "Do you _really_ think that you're gonna succeed like that? Ooh! I'm so scared of some big bad dragon. Oh, and guess what, bitch?" instantly he returned to his natural form, his left side badly scorched, his mangled face still transferring across forms, including his missing eye, and his horn now broken and stubbed, with a piece of the empty socket jutting through his scales and skull as a replacement. As he opened his mighty, emerald maw to spew a pillar of flame towards the beast, it vanished in an electrical zap, reappearing above his head and diving into his neck, sending him to the ground. Again, the Adjudicator vanished in a ball of lightning, teleporting around him to deliver a barrage of attacks towards the recovering dragon. He predicted where it was going to reappear next, preparing a ball of fire, and as the Adjudicator reappeared before him, he launched it towards the creature. Again, the beast vanished, reappearing a few seconds later directly in front of him, grabbing him by both his bony horn and his intact one, the former summoning a screech of pain from the beast before he was pulled into the vortex with his assailant.

He was next aware of falling through a space-like void, landing harshly on a floating, earthen platform. The Adjudicator reappeared above him, launching a combined stream of ice and electrical attacks in his direction, teleporting around to flank him. " _The child must die!_ " the creature—its sex still undefinable—hissed, pile-driving towards the exhausted Piermont, struggling to catch his breath. With unexpected agility and grace, the Martaanean Forest Dragon spun violently around, tail-whipping the Adjudicator and knocking it several feet backwards. It recovered almost instantly, vanishing and reappearing in a dozen different places on its way to a distant floating island, vanishing across a lone, rocky peak situated upon the island. Rocks and boulders rose from the void below, building itself into a stair-like bridge that led to the mountain island.

" _Raaagh!_ Come back here, you bitch!" Piermont roared, racing off down the path towards the distant island. As he followed the bridge, massive balls of lightning arched over the mountain, crashing powerfully into the bridge and obliterating large chunks of it. He squirted these holes until finally reaching the mountain, leaping over it and landing on the other side, growling animalistically. The Adjudicator hovered several feet in the air above the far end of the platform, directly opposite of the furious Piermont. It summoned more of those explosive, electric orbs from its armor-clad-hands, launching them in rapid successions at the Martaanean Forest Dragon. He launched whatever elemental abilities he could at the beast, unable to join it in aerial combat due to the unnatural physics of this unknown dimension. Rocky islands swirled around them, colorful gas clouds filled the all-encompassing starfield, and it appeared as if they were clashing in the middle of a nebula. The world itself didn't feel entirely real, it had a softened, almost blurred view to it. The colorful nebula around them seemed faded, as if covered in a lair of dust, and shapes had no sharp, crisp form to them, instead appearing dreamlike and ethereal.

After several minutes of attempting to trade blows with each other, the Adjudicator seemed annoyed with the game they were playing and became extremely aggressive in its attacks. It delivered a constant and unnaturally agile barrage of teleportations and attacks on the dragon, dizzying and exhausting the Martaanean Forest Dragon. At last, defeated, he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, "This isn't the end!" he roared, "I will tear your fucking head off!" but before he could attack again, the Adjudicator teleported before him, grabbing his head and whisking him away. Before he was even aware of what was happening, he was back in his house, laying in the middle of the floor directly beneath the hole in the roof, now pouring sunlight down into the room.

"Where are you!?" he roared, glancing around the room for any sign of the Adjudicator, "You can't hide from me! I will kill you! Do you hear me? I WILL _KILL_ YOU!"


	9. Chapter VIII: Archreaper's Legion

_**Chapter VIII**_ **:**

 **-''Archreaper's Legion''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _05 July 2016_ -**

 **- _0843 Hours_ -**

Alex lay beside his mate, smiling as he watched Ruby sleep. She slept soundly, wearing a smile, seeming happy in her dreamworld, and he gently caressed her head. Her youthfulness shone through her sleeping expression, and he was filled with an overwhelming love and joy for her. Still stroking her snout, he kissed her mouth lightly before climbing out of bed, dressing himself and stepping outside into the backyard. Lighting a cigarette, he turned on his phone, checking the clock and waiting for the weekly update from Sam.

When at last he got the call, he answered it, asking, "Whaddya got, Sam?"

"Well...I've got some good news and some bad news," the Irishman replied, and the Commander could hear vigorous keyboard taps on the other end of the line, "Which do you want first."

"What's the good news?"

"The good news is that I have a lead...it's not to help against Vergil, but it can help against the Alpha Breaker."

"And the bad news?"

"The identity of said lead...A small but _very_ influential cult in Alagaesia called the Archreaper's Legion. These guys are like Salem Witch Trial-levels of extreme religious zealotry. They worship Messorem and are in possession of one of Messorem's twin swords...specifically _Bloodreaver_. We need both _Bloodreaver_ AND _Soulreaper_ if we hope to kill the Breaker and, possibly, even Vergil himself."

"Okay...where's _Soulreaper_?"

"My research says that Messorem gave it to the Power Keeper as a peace offering, since the Power Keeper is kind of an almighty demon. I'd talk to Nick, because the way things look...that sword of his may _be Soulreaper_."

"Doesn't really help much against Vergil."

"Well, if we can kill the Alpha Breaker, we can buy more time to figure out how to stop Vergil...since it's the Breaker that's fucking shite up, not him."

"So what's the plan?"

"I dunno, I'm not the soldier here. Although, I suggest trying to find a way to infiltrate the Archreaper's Legion and steal _Bloodreaver_. Oh, and another thing, they answer to something they call the 'Oracle', apparently a beast—or a line of beasts—that have been around since Archangel Messoremel himself."

"That's funny, I don't recall ever being chatted to by some oracle thing."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyway, if you _do_ decide to do this, be very careful...they are extremely dangerous and zealous against outsiders."

"Will do, thanks, Sam."

"No problem. Sam, out," and he ended the call.

Crushing the butt into the frozen dirt, he turned and headed back around, pausing at the door upon seeing Terrias slowly approaching the house. "Alex..." the servine began.

"What the _hell_ do you want?" the Commander spat.

"Let me explain..."

"You have five minutes."

"I fucked up," the servine began, his hands resting in a ball upon the dining table.

"No shit," Alex growled, leaning against the hearth, arms crossed at his chest.

"I didn't expect Piermont to step to _that_ point...I know I shouldn't have stopped the raptors...but like I said, I didn't realize just how far gone he was. Yes, I don't think you two should let that child be born...but listen to my reasoning. We lost _everything_ when we fought against Deitus...remember how hard it was to take the son of a bitch down? If this child is born...and since we _know_ that he contains Deitus' soul...do you _really_ want to fight him again? We might not be able to stop him this time."

"He won't become what Deitus was..."Alex replied.

"How do you know?"

"Because Gabriel said..."

"Fuck that bastard!" the servine roared, "The angels...if you can call them that...are _playing_ us! They don't care about our survival! They don't care about the survival of our world! All they care about is bringing us closer to Armageddon! All Gabriel and his buddies care about is reuniting the _Old Regime_ so the world can end sooner...don't tell me you actually _trust_ them to have our best interests in mind! We're trying to _save_ the world, not destroy it! How do we know that this child is actually purified?"

"Because I know," Alex replied, "I can feel it...the moment I saw that ultrasound, and I saw that little child curled up in Ruby's womb...I _knew_. It _isn't_ Deitus."

Terrias sighed, "Anyway...I can help you two...but you need to let me do my thing. If you will let me keep maintaining the 'loyal' facade to Piermont, I will tell you everything he knows. I can infiltrate his inner circle, and I can be your mole...all I ask is that you trust me."

"How do I know he didn't send you here to infiltrate me?"

"He did," the servine replied bitterly, "I don't like the idea that you and Ruby are letting this child gestate, but at the same time, Piermont is too far gone...killing people is crossing the line."

"You better make one _hell_ of a case to win my respect back after the shit you pulled."

"Fair enough..." the servine replied, "Do you wanna know who shot at you and Ruby in North Carolina?"

"Who?"

"Piermont. He stole Sam's gun and opened fire on you guys...his intention was to kill Ruby to force an abortion, you were caught in the crossfire. He wants her dead, and he's willing to stop at _nothing_ to ensure that it happens. I understand why you don't want to kill him...you two are bonded, you have a history...but you need to understand that the Piermont you knew and loved? He's dead. He died a long time ago, and he's not coming back. The monster we know will only get worse and worse until he's put down...it won't just stop with Ruby's death. He'll go after you, then he'll go after anyone and everyone until the entire perceived threat is extinguished...and the whole world is burning to the ground. He's gone, and he can't be saved. I can help you take him down...but I need your trust. He has no doubt that I'm loyal to him, he thinks that I'm infiltrating _you_ to report on anything that happens, especially on the status of Ruby and your child's survival. You're my best friend, and even if we have opposite beliefs in what's going on...I never wanted this...I never wanted what Piermont is doing..."

"How can I be absolutely sure that you're not playing me?"

"Scour my mind and see for yourself...we've been through a lot of shit together, Alex. What I did was truly unforgivable...but now that I see just how far Pierre is willing to go...I want to make things up to you."

Alex fell silent for a few moments before, "Fine...you have one chance," and he walked across the room, throwing open a drawer and drawing his Desert Eagle, "You slip up, I won't hesitate to kill you. We may have a history, we may have even been friends once, but the _moment_ you pose a threat to either myself or my family, you're dead where you stand, got it?"

Terrias nodded, "Yes."

"Sam's got a lead for us to follow...I'm leaving Ruby here, in hiding. I'm going to try and sneak out before he notices we're gone, but if he comes sniffing around here, you are to tell him that Ruby came with us," Alex then inspected the surface of his weapon, "There's a cult in Alagaesia that may possess _Bloodreaver_ , one of Messorem's swords...we're going to retrieve it. To kill the Alpha Breaker, we'll need both _Soulreaper and Bloodreaver_...once the Breaker is dead, we'll figure out what to do with Vergil. Killing the Breaker will buy us enough time to figure out how to destroy that fucking multiversal."

"Fair enough...oh, and there's one other thing you should know."

"What?"

"In case you haven't already noticed, Spyro is Piermont's right-hand...he's the one that attacked Cynder, and if _he_ catches on to Ruby's presence, I wouldn't be surprised if _Spyro_ is the one who's sent to deal the killing blow. Piermont is much-to-'righteous' to bloody his hands. A fair word of warning, if you do something to antagonize Piermont, if you hurt him, Spyro will be right there on the defense...you and I _both_ know that a bloodthirsty mutant is no idle threat. Spyro may not be as strong as you, I, or Ruby, but in his maddened state, it won't be hard to overpower us."

"What the hell has happened to Alpha? I can understand why Piermont's is fucking insane—we can thank Harbinger for that—but why the rest of the company?"

Terrias smiled grimly, "Because Pierre's insanity is contagious...it's spreading throughout the ranks of Alpha Company via the mind bank...corrupting any and everyone...it's been this way since he first started losing it back during our tenure as Ares and Thanatos. Those with the weakest minds are the first to succumb to the madness, and if we don't stop Piermont soon...I fear that _everyone_ will collapse into the same state as he is."

"But Spyro? Keisha? Nala? Why?"

"Spyro's being devoured by envy due to your relationship with myself and Ruby, as well as Cynder's obsession—and obvious preference—for you as a mate. This weakened him to the point he's at now. Sonic lost Tails, Keisha lost Cheet, Nala lost Simba...all of this has weakened their minds significantly. Anyone who's lost _anyone_ or been personally affected by current shit is collapsing quicker. Those who _haven't_ lost any loved ones are taking significantly longer to corrupt...but it's only a matter of time. I'm even seeing his influence in _you_."

"What? Bullshit."

"C'mon Alex, the smoking? The drinking? The hallucinations and the random outbursts of rage? Piermont's infected you, the fact you're resisting as much as you are due to current stress, Reaper indoctrination, multiple losses of those close to you, namely Cheet and Zack, and your own intimate bond with Piermont...that's a testament to your emotional strength. But you _are_ infected, and the corruption will only worsen until you become as bad as him...or as bad as Spyro. He _needs_ to be put down, and soon."

"I'm not killing him," Alex replied, "Not if I can save him."

"He's too far gone, Alex...what don't you understand!? The Piermont you knew is dead...and you were just sitting here threatening to kill me if I made a move against Ruby! Piermont ordered her execution! He's the reason for this fucking mess!"

"Terrias, you know what happens to riders when they lose their mounts...I can't take the risk."

"You might not have a choice. It's going to come down to one of two choices...Piermont or Ruby. Who do you want to save and who do you want to lose? You aren't going to be able to have both."

"Watch me."

"You're making a mistake..."

"And _you_ are in no place to tell me what is and what isn't right!" Alex hissed, snapping angrily towards the servine.

Terrias sighed, looking away, "I can't stop you...but if you love Ruby, if you love your family as much as you say you do...there will come a day where you will have to put him down. Probably Spyro, too. Think of it less as cold-blooded murder and more as a _coup de gr_ _â_ _ce_. He's suffering, he's hurting...the only way to save him is to put him out of his misery."

"God _DAMN_ it, Terrias!" Alex hissed, eyes glistening with tears, "I can't kill him! There's no way!"

"Then just give the order...I'll do it if you can't."

"You're not either. Our minds are too connected," he viciously shook his head, "If he dies, I won't be far behind."

"You don't know that, Alex. You're strong."

"I _do_ know it, Terrias. I've seen it happen far too many times to count. Even the strongest of riders break when they lose their mounts...the curse of the fucking bond."

"Given that you've already been disconnected from him—done by Harbinger and the very reason why Piermont's as far gone as he is—the blow may not be as bad as you think. Your bond has already been broken...the Reapers shattered it when you were indoctrinated. That's why Arian didn't last...and why that, even though he's gone, it hasn't harmed me very much."

"He isn't dying...I'll keep Ruby hidden if I have to."

"Have you even _talked_ to her about this?"

"She'll agree..." he smirked, "She always does."

"Then what are you gonna do once the kid is born? I highly doubt he'll agree to stay hidden for his entire life."

"He won't have to," Alex replied, "He's a second-generation mutant...as long as we can get him through the infant stage, he can hold his own against Piermont."

"How are you so sure? The way you impregnated Ruby isn't really natural...this is something that _nobody_ really knows about."

"I doubt the angels will let my son die."

"Once more, you're making assumptions based on no viable evidence...and I _especially_ wouldn't trust the word of your so-called 'angels'. As I said before, they don't give a single fuck about us, all they care about is ensuring their goddamn prophecy comes to fruition, they don't care what they lose or what happens before then."

"They're at my mercy..." Alex chuckled, "Why else do you think we were able to resurrect and rescue Zaz? I hold all the cards here, their victory is solely dependent on me...that kinda power goes a long way."

"Until you reach a point where they get tired of your bullshit and start searching for ways of bypassing you to reach their destination...which I wouldn't doubt they're doing. If there's anything I know about the pride of 'angels' and 'God', they're not gonna serve a human being if they don't have to. They're probably trying to find a way of doing things _without_ you."

 _He's right_ , a dark, deep voice spoke from the depths of Alex's mind, omnipresent.

"Welcome to the party, Necrodusk...thought you died on me," the Commander sighed.

 _Haven't died, only been observing. We're operating in times beyond my extensive knowledge...I would rather not get involved. In past eras, I would have destroyed the world long before we reached this point in time._

"Why? This is all about you, isn't it? The reformation of Messorem?"

 _This is about_ us _,_ Necrodusk replied bitterly, _But Lord Raziel is right, Heaven will soon be looking for a way to accomplish the prophecy on their own if we keep flexing our control over them. The angelic hierarchy DOES NOT take kindly to serving 'lesser' beings like you mortals, or us demons._

"The fuck is Raziel?"

 _The true name of Terrias_ , the demon replied, _One of Messorem's lieutenants, and the only knight of the_ Old Regime _not to be angelic in nature. The Legate Raziel was a human general that Messorem confided greatly in during his reign...they were close. Some say, even, abnormally so. Messorem had always held a certain fondness for mortals, tis why he fell in love with Vitam, and slept with the likes of Kalmiya—whom you call Kira and her offspring call Avias—the Featherless One._

 _And Cynder?_

 _Amaliel was angelic, surprisingly enough, and the wife of Azriel—the original form of Spyro._

"Mind including me in your conversation?" Terrias asked, annoyed, "Or are we done here? Do you trust me? Do we have a deal?"

"You remember my promise, Terrias. You know I always keep my promises."

The servine only nodded, and Alex dismissed him with a wave of the hand. Once the servine had left and Alex watched him disappear down the hill, the Commander returned into his bedroom, quietly sneaking across to avoid waking Ruby or the two raptors tangled together at the foot of the bed. He opened a trapdoor built into the ground, sliding down the ladder into the cellar laying beneath the longhouse. He approached the back of the room, where an old grandfather clock sitting against the wall lay, broken beyond repair. He opened the face, turning the hands to '7:07', indicating the day—the seventh of July—that he and Ruby had consummated their love. A low, barely audible rumble filled the earth and the wall slowly swung open to expose a long, dark, cavernous shaft beyond. He disappeared into the cave, lighting a lantern as the door closed shut behind him. Now alone in the darkness, he followed the cave to its end, emerging in an open room, deep underground, fully furnished and well-lit by eternally-burning dragonflame, something that Cynder had done for him. The temperature of the room was pleasantly warm, the walls and ceiling were held upright as dried mud by brick columns, and the room was designed in such a way that the heat would not break through the adobe walls, thus preventing the ice above to melt and drown the room.

This chamber—still under construction—was a special safe room specifically designed to house Alex, Ruby, and those that they trusted the most...a last resort and hideaway if Piermont militarized his cult. He, Kira, and Cynder had been working on it in secret ever since they had begun to build this settlement, acknowledging the fear that Piermont's zealotry would make him homicidal. It seemed that time was fast approaching, and Alex continued work, utilizing a combination of his elemental abilities to bring the hidden chamber ever-closer to completion. After a few hours in here, in the company of his thoughts, he returned to the surface world,peering through a small hole in the wall of his basement wall to ensure no one was around before opening the passage with the pressing of a switch built into the wall and slipping back into his home. With a sigh, he returned upstairs, slipping through the trapdoor, slipping through just as Ruby roused from her sleep, blinking towards him and casting him a wide, loving smile.

"Morning," he said, walking over to his mate and hugging her tightly, "How are you doing, love?"

"Fine," she replied.

"How's the baby?" Alex asked, gently caressing her belly.

"Happy," the dolphin replied, and Alex helped her upright, "Can you help me bathe?"

"Of course," he said with a smile, kissing her mouth before disappearing back into the living room, putting a pot of water on to boil, "Terrias came by...begging for forgiveness," Alex grunted.

"Did you give it to him?"

"Yeah...dunno if I should have, though."

"Alex...he didn't mean to hurt us. He's only worried about the safety of the world..."

"So is Piermont, supposedly," the Commander hissed bitterly, "But you don't see me jumping to forgive _him_."

Ruby shrugged, "I've checked his mind...he's trustworthy."

Silence fell between them before Alex said, "Terrias told me that Piermont was the one who shot you."

"I know," she replied, "He told me..."

"When?"

"A few days ago...he stopped by to deliver us some fruits while you were downstairs...I just didn't tell you because I didn't know how you would react..."

"You sure he's still trustworthy?"

The dolphin nodded, "I trust him...don't you?"

"Honestly, Ruby...I don't know who I trust anymore."

"But he's your best friend."

"Yeah, well...he was."

"He's our spy in Piermont's congregation, something we really needed."

"I guess...if you think so."

"He made a mistake, he admitted to it, and he says that he'll tell us everything Piermont is planning if we let him do what he's been doing."

"Has he talked to anyone else about this?"

"Just Tiberius, Athena, and me."

They both fell silent turning as Tiberius crawled out of the room, heading towards the front door. His eyes glanced between Alex and Ruby, and he snarled at the Commander, baring his fangs, before slithering outside. Athena emerged soon after, hastily following her brother out the door. After this, Alex and Ruby turned to face each other again, and the Commander sighed.

"You should talk to him...try to get to know Tiberius. He is your son after all."

"Yeah...but I'm not his father, I'm still Thanatos to him."

"There's ways you can bond with him...I think you should try."

"And do what? He doesn't like me, he ain't ever going to. He doesn't forgive me for what I did."

"He forgave Terrias."

"Great...so I'm the odd one out, fucking wonderful."

"Have you tried to talk to him? Try getting through to him...eventually he'll open up to you. All I've seen you do is avoid him and refuse to give him even so much as a passing glance."

"Because I'm afraid he'll bite my fucking head off."

Several moments of silence fell between them, and just as the male raptor entered the house again, Alex continued, not noticing his presence, "You don't think I want him to see me as his dad? He won't give me the time, and quite frankly, yeah, I'm scared of him. I did a lot of shit that I regret as Thanatos...something I feel guilty about every day."

Ruby nodded behind them, and Alex barely turned his head to see Tiberius standing there, still wearing his unreadable expression.

Alex shrugged, "Oh well, it's not important. I'm not his father," and without another word, the Commander turned to leave the longhouse, taking the long way past the male raptor, whose eyes followed his every move until he was out the door.

"Tiberius..." Ruby began, almost pleadingly, "Why don't you give him a chance?"

"Because he's responsible for everything that happened to us...we suffer because of him."

"He's not Thanatos anymore...he was brainwashed, he had no control over himself...he just wants you to accept him as a father. He thinks of you like his son...he really does love you."

"It sure didn't seem like it."

"Well...he's scared you'll hurt him."

"As he should be," the raptor snorted, "He said it himself, he can think of me like his son all he wants, but he is not my father," and Tiberius slithered back into the bedroom.

"What are you afraid of?" Ruby called after him, "Are you afraid he'll hurt your sister?"

But there was no response, and the dolphin only sighed, looking towards the ground.

"Are you okay, Father?" Athena asked, cocking her head to face Alex, leaning against the wall of his house, drinking from a bottle of mead.

"I'd rather not talk about it, Athena," he replied.

"Did Brother do something again?"

"Nah...your brother's fine..." Alex just shrugged, "Maybe I'm just hoping that he'll stop seeing me as dangerous and accept me as a dad, y'know?"

Athena approached him, nuzzling his chest and clicking contentedly, "You are _my_ father, at least."

Alex smiled, scratching the top of the raptor's head, "Well, at least someone likes me, huh?"

"Mother loves you."

"I know she does," Alex replied, "I love her, too."

"So does Brother Azazel."

But Alex didn't reply, he only watched as Athena disappeared back inside of the house, and the Commander grinned widely, proud to have a family that cared about him. Soon after the female raptor had left, Terrias returned, nodding towards him and saying, "I told Piermont that you and Ruby are going to Alagaesia...he sent me to come with you, to spy on you two."

"Did he buy it?"

The servine nodded, "Yes, you're in the clear."

The Commander nodded, handing his bottle to Terrias. The servine downed what little was left before following Alex back into the house.

That night, Alex held conference with the rest of the household, informing them of what Sam had told him and his plan to infiltrate the Archreaper's Legion, "Who all is willing to come with me?" the Commander asked, and he instantly pointed towards Ruby, "Not you, I need you to stay here where it's safe. Piermont thinks that you're already coming with us...it should keep him off your tail."

"I'll stay here to babysit Ruby," Kira replied with a wide, mischievous grin, "You can trust that to me, dumbass."

"I'll stay with her," Jazz added with a firm nod.

"I want the raptors to stay, too..." Alex replied.

Cynder interrupted, "I'll stay with them, help keep an eye on things...should we move her to the safe room downstairs?"

"What safe room?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Alex replied, "I want you all to stay down there while we're gone."

"What about me?" Dash asked.

"You're coming with me," Alex added, "Zaz, you're staying, too."

"Good," the goat boy replied, "I didn't want to go anyway...I'm happy here."

"Sapphire, I need you to take care of Ruby, can you do that for me?"

"Of course," the bull replied, "We will keep her safe."

"Guess I can come with ya," Eli said, "Get another human in there with you."

Rocket, also in attendance, nodded his chin towards Ruby, "Normally I'd want to come with...but I can't hold a human form to save my life..." he then playfully shouldered his friend, a red fox named Scarlet, "We'll stay here with Ruby...the more security the better...who knows if that crazy bastard will come around."

"So Dash, Terrias, Eli, and I...the four of us are gonna head to Alagaesia."

"Sounds good to me," the pegasus replied, "I can take the three of ya."

"You sure? We won't be too much weight?"

"Nah, I can handle it...not like you're bringing a lot of luggage are you?"

"I'm taking my Desert Eagle and some ammunition in case of an emergency, but other than that, ain't got nothing but the clothes on my back."

"Then yeah, shouldn't have any problem."

"Excellent..." Alex replied, "Now listen, we'll try not to stay very long...but who knows how long it'll take to find and secure _Bloodreaver_ , given that Sam's Intel is accurate."

"You take as long as you need, dumbass," Kira replied, "We got this in the bag."

"Good..." Alex replied, "I'm trusting in _all_ of you to make sure that Ruby remains safe. It's dangerous to leave her here, but it's even _more_ dangerous to take her with us. Do whatever you can to keep Piermont off her tail. Do not tell _anyone_ the truth, got it? In the event that I _do_ have to send someone here for whatever reason, the code is 'watchdog'."

"We got this, no worries," Rocket said with a firm nod, "We'll keep her safe, promise."

"Thank you guys..." and Alex examined each one of his gathered comrades, "Really, thank you all. I hate to do this...but if we can stop either Vergil or the Alpha Breaker, it's something we need to do."

"When are we leaving?" Dash asked.

"Tomorrow morning," the Commander replied, "Everybody better be up bright and early. I'll leave a few hours before we leave to get some basic supplies for the trip."

"Thought you said you weren't bringing anything?" Dash asked with a grin.

"Well, I may bring a bag of some medical supplies, Christ knows we'll need it..." and he turned to Tiberius, "You want to go with me to pick them up?"

The raptor eyed him viciously, "I have no interest in anything you offer, Thanatos."

The Commander sighed, watching as the raptor headed to the bedroom, "Very well then..." he said, turning to face the rest of his comrades, "Anyway, I'll see you all in the morning."

"Alex..." Ruby began once everyone had left, "I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"Tiberius..."

Alex shrugged, "Like I said, I'm not his father, it's fine."

"I guess I was just hoping that you two could become a better family."

"Well, as I'm sure you're well aware, I'm hard to love."

Ruby smiled lovingly, touching her forehead against his, "I never noticed."

"Are you sure you'll be fine here by yourself?"

She nodded, "We'll be safe, I just want _you_ to be safe."

"You know you don't have to worry about me, love."

"I still do anyway...I'll be praying for you."

"Same here," he replied, gently stroking her face, "I love you, Ruby."

"I love you, too, Alex...as for Tiberius, I'll keep trying to get through to him."

"Don't even bother, mate. He's not interested, some people just can't find forgiveness. It's fine, I did fuck up a lot."

"You weren't in control of yourself."

"Well, it's not important...I have you, Zaz, and Athena..." he smiled warmly, "I don't need anyone else...anyway, I need to go to bed. Are you coming with me or are you gonna stay up for a little bit?"

"Sure, let me just use the bathroom and I'll be right there."

"Night, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Alex," and they kissed before parting ways. Tiberius, watching quietly through the open door, slipped back to the bed, curling together at its foot with Athena, burying his head in hers. He thought for a few moments before snorting, closing his eyes and allowing sleep to drop over him, all while the souls of his fallen brethren cried on and on endlessly within the depths of his mind.

* * * * *

Alex's team took to the skies above Vernhelm, flying eastbound to Alagaesia before sunrise, hoping to get out before Piermont or any of his allies could catch them. "How much ammo did you bring?" Eli asked, his poncho pressed tightly against his body against the bitterly cold wind blowing past them.

"Eight mags."

"Fifty-six rounds...sure that's enough?"

"My intention is not to piss anyone off...but if we _do_ end up doing so...have a backup if things get heated. We're still in the Gothics, worse we'll encounter if we piss off the village is a few archers. These guys ain't got nothing on the _Maxia_ or the _Caeda_ , and I'm almost positive they don't have access to Cryptonite bullets."

"What if we encounter _Filios Diaboli_?"

"Then ammo is worthless anyway," Alex replied, "We don't have that much ammo left in Vernhelm...I left what little I had with the others...it's more useful to them if Pierre's goons go after them than it will be to us here. If we encounter _Filios Diaboli_ then...well...hope you know how to use pyrokinesis."

"Any incendiaries?"

"Left the shotty and Dragon's Breath rounds with Sam, remember?"

"Shit...forgot."

"Anyway, _hopefully_ we won't encounter _Filios Diaboli_ down there."

"Well, if Sam's lead about the location of Messorem's sword is any indication, wouldn't put it above Vergil to head down there to try and get it first...at the very least to lure us into a trap."

"That's why I'm hoping that Vergil either doesn't care or doesn't know. It's not like the sword can do anything to him...it's effective against mortals. If this were _Soulreaper—_ designed to kill demons—it may be a different story."

"How's this thing supposed to kill the Alpha Breaker?" Dash asked, "I mean, the Alpha Breaker isn't your typical mortal."

"Hell if I know," the Commander replied, "But it's not just _Bloodreaver_ that can kill that beast. Sam said that it needs to be used in tandem with _Soulreaper_ to do so. By itself, it's worthless."

"How friendly are these fuckers?" Eli asked.

"According to Sam," Alex responded, "It's Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1692."

"Well...that's fucking wonderful."

"Just try to control the magic powers, don't let them see you if you can get away with it. Oh, and whatever you do, don't tip off that we're here for the sword, or that we're reincarnations of the _Old Regime_. These guys are absolutely fanatical in their devotion and worship of the 'Archreaper'. Wouldn't doubt we'll be slammed with heresy and blasphemy should we utter such a thing. No offense to you guys, but I don't want to finally meet my maker after a rough encounter with a village of zealots...especially after all the other shit I've crawled out of in my relatively short life."

"Plus, you promised Ruby you'd come back home in one piece," Dash chuckled.

"Yeah...that, too...and she's got me by the balls, so yeah..."

"Hell, if they catch ya, just haunt your dolphin, there you go."

"Shut up, Eli."

Below, they flew past Tamriel's eastern shore, flying toward the distant, foggy, western shores of the immense Alagaesia, nearly twice the size of Tamriel. "Can't see shit in this fog," Dash spat, "Where did it come from?"

"We're heading into unknown territory," Alex replied, "Stay frosty."

"That won't be too hard, my balls are frozen to my thighs," Eli grunted.

"I thought Alagaesia was friendly?" Terrias asked.

"As far as I'm concerned, they are," the Commander replied, "But they don't really do a whole helluva lot with Tamriel and the Eastern Kingdoms—that is Rune and Parmecia. There's some trading between them, but little else."

"Least it's not Gaia, or the Dark Continent," the servine replied.

"Fuck that shit, the moment we enter Gaia's airspace, we're fucked. They absolutely despise the rest of the Gothics. As for the Dark Continent? Well..." he shrugged, "We don't really know anything about that. That's why it's called the _Dark Continent_ , they keep to themselves and have closed borders. Hell, we don't even know the names of the kingdoms there."

"There are kingdoms there?" Dash asked, surprised.

"Yeah, either three or four, I don't remember."

"I thought the entire landmass was uninhabited."

"Exactly my point...nobody knows what's there. It's a complete mystery, and completely uncharted to everyone else in the Gothics."

"Do we even know where this cult lives?"

"No, but I'm sure if we ask around, we won't have too much problem finding it. Sam says they're very small but _incredibly_ influential throughout the kingdom."

"Ironic."

"Well, considering the current king's ancestors trace their bloodline back to the Archreaper's Legion, specifically the village chief slash archdeacon, not really. Plus, asking around Whiterun, apparently the Legion were the first ones to settle there...everything else came out of it."

"How are they still so small then?"

"They're self-contained in their own little society. The other towns and settlements were founded from members of the cult that moved on to bigger and better things."

"Small town kids leave with dreams of living in the big city."

"Exactly, Eli. Anyway...just be ready for anything. Who knows what the fuck we're gonna find when we get there."

"Rah," Terrias replied, and the group fell silent as they navigated through the thick, impenetrable fog. Alagaesia's rich-green, dense forests, rolling foothills, and mountainous, gray crags stretched on endlessly below, almost entirely obscured by fog. Occasionally, the monotony of it all was broken by a small settlement or pasture. As large as the nation's area of land—the largest in all of the Gothics—was, there were even _less_ villages than Tamriel or the Eastern Kingdoms, even if the nation wasn't nearly as uninhabited as the much smaller Dark Continent down south.

"Looks like something out of _Jurassic Park_ ," Eli frowned.

"Yeah, well, from what I've heard, cloned dinosaurs ain't got shit on the ruthless brutality of the Archreaper's Legion," Alex grunted.

"Fucking A."

"Dash, hang a little lower...try to minimize the chance of being seen here since I don't know what to expect from these people," Alex asked, squinting his eyes in a desperate attempt to see through the darkness. The sun had yet to rise, the skies still painted a dark lavender, and coupling this with the thickly concentrated fog, it was nearly impossible to see anything beneath them. The skies were a little brighter on the horizon, a beautiful, cloudy pallet of pink, yellow, blood red, dark blue, and deep purple, but the sun itself had yet to crest.

"Roger that, can't see shit up here anyway," and she lowered towards the ground, swearing and narrowly managing to avoid plowing into the canopy of a forest, hidden by the dense fog and blending into the encompassing darkness, jostling and summoning simultaneous swears from her riders, "Sorry!" she exclaimed, "Sorry..."

"Can you get out of the treeline?" Alex asked, impatient.

"How do you suppose I do that? In case you haven't noticed, every inch of this continent that doesn't have a town or farm on it is covered in trees!"

"At least try?"

"Hell do you think I'm doing? Now hold on tight, this is dangerous to fly in!"

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Terrias said.

"You and me both, mate," Alex replied.

"Red sky at morning, sailor take warning..." Eli smirked, glancing to the east.

"Shut up, Eli."

"What? That's what my daddy always told me."

"You're not helping matters!"

"Stressed?"

"Fuck you!"

"What for?"

"Piss off!"

"Here's an idea," Dash began, irritated, "How about _both_ of you shut up so I can concentrate here!"

They landed on top of a hill, just outside of a forest, overlooking a small village set within a misty valley. Alex nodded towards the distant settlement, crouching low, saying, "Right...Terrias, Eli...you guys keep watch here. Dash and I are gonna scout out the village, see what we're up against," then to the pegasus, "Can you hide your wings?"

"Hell do you think?" Dash asked, nodding towards her folded feathers, sticking out from beneath her black, steel armor. Alex shifted the bags strewn across her back to cover her wings, and although she protested at the added, uncomfortable weight upon them, she reluctantly submitted. Mounting her once more, the Commander reiterated, "You two stay here..." and he reached into one of the bags, tossing a pair of binoculars to Terrias, "Keep an eye on things...try to stay hidden," he turned towards the skies, "It's still early, and the fog will keep everything dark for a little while longer, but don't do anything to attract any unnecessary attention," reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his Desert Eagle, screwing on the silencer and loading a magazine into it, tossing the weapon to Eli, "In case you run into any wild animals. We'll be back ASAP."

"Take your time," Eli replied, southern drawl well-pronounced in this statement.

"All right, Dash," Alex replied, shifting until he was comfortably straddling her, "Let's go."

"Rog," she replied, taking off in a rapid trot down the hill towards the distant town, silhouetted in the dawning light and marked by smoke rising from chimneys into the sky and the occasional lantern in a window or along the street.

As they neared the village, Alex whispered to his mount, gently petting her head, "Stay back a bit until we can get a pretty good understand of what to expect. Don't want to ride into a hostile town."

"Don't need to tell me twice..." she replied, then, "Wish we would have brought some radios. At least Terrias and Eli could tell us if something's up."

"Maybe."

"So any ideas how we're gonna go about asking for the Legion?"

"Negative, hoping they'll just take a blunt question."

Dash smirked, "Or they'll hunt you down under the assumption that you're against them."

"You're not helping."

She only chuckled in response.

They made several passes around the outskirts of town, drawing ever closer to it before trotting down the empty road that cut through its heart, finding the town still asleep. A few knights on horseback greeted them as the men continued onward into the wilderness, and once the duo were able to come to the conclusion that there was no _immediate_ threat laying in wait for them, they returned to where Eli and Terrias rested. "Okay, things look pretty clear...at least for now. If the place is dangerous, the threat isn't immediate," Alex replied, "Terrias, see about taking on a human form, let's head down there and see what we can find out."

Walking through the town, the sun finally punched through the cloud cover, casting the world in a golden glow. Little by little, the townsfolk began to wake up, many of them heading out into the fields and paying them no mind. "So..." the human-form servine began, "How do you expect to start asking questions?"

"Just...ask," the Commander replied, "They either give us an answer or they don't. If not, we'll continue on."

"Wonderful plan."

"Thanks."

"I was being sarcastic, Alex."

"So was I, Terrias. Anyway, let's see if we can find a tavern...sensible place to start our search, don't you think?"

As they strolled down the town, trying to find anything that even _resembled_ what they were looking for, Alex asked, "You think Ruby is okay?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Dash replied, "We have her hidden away, and Pierre thinks she's dead."

"No..." Terrias replied, "He knows she's alive," and Alex pointed towards the servine, "But he thinks we have her here with us."

"You think he'll come after us?" the pegasus asked.

"No, he's smarter than that. He'll attack again only when he thinks that you guys have let your guards down. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin after all," the servine continued,

"Yeah, but his madness is a little different compared to something like that," Dash replied.

"Regardless...don't worry, she's fine," Terrias said, comforting his friend with a pat on the back, "Piermont bought the lie...we're clear. If he does somehow manage to figure out I lied, you can shoot me."

"I wonder if I should have brought her with me after all..."

Eli shook his head, "Look at this, haven't even been gone for a few hours and already you're suffering from separation anxiety. Jesus Christ..."

Alex said nothing, only looked away, losing himself in thought.

Terrias suddenly pointed ahead towards a building sitting on a corner, "Don't know about you guys, but that looks like our destination."

"Go ahead and take us there, Dash."

"Roger that, Alex."

"After that, play the normal horse card for a little while...try to minimize suspicion here."

"Of course."

Once Dash was stabled, the party dismounted, and ensuring that the pegasus remained safe, Alex and his team slipped into the tavern, finding that it was already busy with drunks. "Jeez...guess they have no other past time," Terrias said, shaking his head.

Accompanied by loud conversations and the music of the tavern's resident bard, Alex and party took a seat at the bar, waiting patiently for the attendant, an older, short, and healthily chubby mother running across to tend to her various customers. When at last she served them, Alex passed her a warm smile, "We're looking for some people, was hoping you could point us in a direction."

"Whatcha looking for?" she asked impatiently.

"The Archreaper's Legion, you wouldn't happen to know where they live would you?"

She snorted, "Who _doesn't_ know where those twisted bastards live."

Alex cocked his head to the side, "Something wrong with them?"

"They despise outsiders. The moment ya walk through those gates, yer a dead man. If yer smart, y'all would stay as far away from that damnable place as ya can."

"Well, we need to find it regardless."

She sighed, "If yer stupid enough to take the risk, it's southward, 'bout fifteen kilometers, you'd probably get there by dusk if you leave now. Take the road outta town to Dawngrove south o' here 'bout five kilometers. Head eastward from there towards Jaded Village, if ya reach the old canyon you've gone too far. Head south again once y'all reach Jaded Village, road'll take ya to Shadewood Forest, keep following it and you'll eventually see Shadowfall at the base of Raider's Folly in a clearing."

"Shadowfall the town?"

"Aye, a wretched place it is, too. Those lunatics guard the Shadewood Forest with their lives...expect a few nasty run-ins before ya get there."

"Much appreciated," Alex replied, and he slipped her a small purse full of gold coins, "You have a blessed morning," he said with a wave.

"Aye," she replied in surprise, "You, too, darlin'."

Upon leaving the tavern to return to where Dash was kept, Terrias said, "Well, that went better than I expected."

"Don't jinx us, mate," Alex scowled.

"You figure out where to go?" Dash asked in a low voice.

"Rog," the Commander replied, mounting her and helping his companions onto the pegasus' back, "It'll take us most of the day, but we can make it."

"Good," then Alex turned to face Eli, "Still got my gun?"

Eli returned the weapon and Alex checked the clip, cocking the gun and pocketing it in his waist, "Right...let's head on out."

Upon reaching the forest hiding Shadowfall from the world, Alex felt that sinking feeling he had encountered in Whiterun return. The sun was beginning to sink in the west, casting the night in an eerie glow that, for some unexplained reason, brought a dangerous aura with it. "Tread carefully," the Commander said, "I don't like this."

"Glad I'm not the only one..." Terrias replied, scanning his environment, "Anything we should be looking for?"

"That chick did say the Legion guards these woods."

"Great..."

"That's why I'm glad I brought a weapon."

"Sure you have enough ammo?" Eli asked.

"Mostly," the Commander replied, "Just...keep your eyes open."

As they rode through the woods, the rustling of leaves attracted their attention and Alex ordered Dash to stop. Scanning the area, the rustling sounded again, and he instantly withdrew his weapon relieving the safety and preparing to fire. "Hello..." a small voice began from behind him, and he instantly turned to find a young boy, clad in rags, standing behind them.

Relaxing, Alex replaced the safety and holstered his weapon again, "Everything okay, kid?" he asked.

"Can you help me? I got separated from mum...I'm lost and I can't find her."

The Commander nodded for the boy to approach, and the child reluctantly stepped towards him. "Where did you last see her?" he asked, "Do you remember?"

Once the child finally reached him, Alex extended a hand towards the boy. After a few moments hesitation, the child accepted the offer and Alex pulled him onto his lap, "Hope you don't mind, Dash."

"Not at all," the pegasus replied, "So where are we going?"

"Where do you live?" the Commander asked.

Before he had a chance to respond, the boy, with eerie agility, withdrew a knife from his waist, thrusting it into the Commander's abdomen. His body instantly went numb, it felt as if his spirit was being dislodged from his body, and, paralyzed, he fell off the pegasus' back. Eli and Terrias moved to react, but it didn't take long before they, too, were incapacitated by the child, soon stabbing Dash several times, knocking her to the ground. Barely holding onto consciousness, Alex watched the bull approach him, the knife dripping blood onto the dirt road. From around them, silhouetted figures emerged from the bush, and just as Alex managed to get a good glimpse at one of the silhouettes approaching and standing over him, a swift kick to the head knocked his consciousness from his body.

Dazed, the Commander slowly came to, aware of a piercing heat upon his body. With a groan, he opened his eyes and raised his head, finding himself in an unfamiliar place. It seemed to be late morning to noon, judging by the light casting down onto the world, and he found himself, wearing nothing except his underwear and tags, his arms outstretched and tethered to two stakes jutting several feet apart from the ground. He was on his knees, and as he tried to stand, he found that his bind had trapped him in a kneeling position, unless he were to displace his limbs. He turned towards his bionic arm, struggling to tear it free, but found that the device refused to respond, it had completely locked up. Upon closer examination, he realized that the artificial limb appeared to be crushed, rendering it completely unusable.

Directly across from him, Eli, also stripped down to his underwear and dogtags, was bound in a similar position to him, still unconscious. Terrias and Dash were nowhere to be found. He was trapped in what seemed to be the center of a colonial town, and he was surrounded by men and women, staring at their prisoner as if he was a caged animal. "Fucking hell..." the Commander groaned, glancing down towards his side, where his knife wound was crusted with dried blood, not healing, and appeared to have some sort of homemade poultice forced into the necrotic lips if the injury. "Where...where am I?"

An elderly man, adorned in gaily colored robes, approached him, wielding the rusty, broken hilt of a sword, its stub sharpened into a crude point. "Remember Ezekiel, the Oracle said not to hurt him until she's had a chance to see him!" a man's voice called out.

Alex glanced around at the obsessively fascinated, eerily excited stares of the town's residents, all dressed in rags, not unlike that of the boy that had ambushed them.

"Where's Dash and Terrias?" Alex managed, "What did you bastards do to them!?"

The sharply dressed man, Ezekiel, crouched down before his eyes, smelling strongly of stale sweat, urine, and body odor. The man's eerie gray eyes, slightly clouded over with thin cataracts, stared him down with peculiar intrigue. In one twisted, arthritic, crow-like hand, he carried a wooden staff inset with five gems in its dragon-shaped head—two rubies where the eyes would be and one larger emerald in the center of its forehead, flanked on either side by two much-smaller sapphires.

"Who are you people?" Alex asked, before, cracked lips smiling, "Let me guess, the Archreaper's Legion?" and he, baring his teeth in a snarl, snapped at the examining priest, hissing, spitting, and violently twisting and turning. The man didn't even flinch, only continued his curious gaze.

"You aren't from around here, Outsider...from where do you come?"

"Let me go!" Alex roared, "Or I'll fuck you up so bad that your own fucking mother won't recognize you!"

The assumed priest gently raked the eerily cold point of the broken hilt across Alex's cheek, its razor-sharp edge slicing through his skin to draw blood from even the slightest touch, "Now what, pray tell, does the Oracle see in a creature like you?" and he righted himself, "What brings someone like you to our village?"

Blood dripping down like water from the cut across his cheek, the Commander was alarmed to find the injury refusing to heal. In fact, the wound burned with a fierce, scalding heat, as if he had just been branded. One woman at the front of the crowd covered her mouth in a gasp, rapidly pulling back, "His skin! What is happening to his skin! It's turning black!"

That scalding heat across his cheek began to expand across his face, until the entire side was completely numb beneath the uncomfortable heat, his vision in that eye blurring dangerously, fading to black.

"The Relic of the Archreaper has detected the evil in this body. This creature is so corrupted that even the slightest touch of the relic's blessed blade will melt the very skin off his bones."

The pain becoming increasingly unbearable, Alex squeezed his eyes shut, crying out against the onslaught and crying for it to subside. His pained cries roused the sleeping presence of Necrodusk deep within his mind, and the redeemed archdemon quickly and violently reacted, _It's_ Bloodreaver _!_

 _What's it doing to me!?_

Bloodreaver _kills mortals!_ Necrodusk hissed, _It's very touch is lethal to all mortal beings!_

 _Make it stop! It hurts!_

 _I can't! Its power is beyond my control!_

 _Necordusk! Get me out of here! Is there anything you can do!?_

 _I am powerless here..._ the demon replied, _There's some kind of ancient occult magic locked in these tethers, I can do little but observe!_

With a grunt and a start, Eli's head shot up, and the older man blinked around, trying to get a grasp of his surroundings. Instantly, his eyes snapped towards his bound arms, and he struggled to tear free, "Vaughn!" he spat, turning to face the Commander, "What the hell is goin' on? Where are we!?"

"Let's see if the relic has blessed or damned this one, hmm?" Ezekiel said, turning his attention towards Eli and swiftly slashing the blade across the man's forehead, just above his eyebrow. Crying out and hissing in pain, the Commander watched, horrified, as the blood running from Eli's open wound bubbled and boiled. The skin around the injury darkened almost instantly to a stony gray, spreading across his face like a droplet of ink upon a white cloth. The larger the dark spot grew, the slower it expanded, and Ezekiel grinned, "Another corrupt creature of Hell..." and he grabbed Eli by his long hair, forcefully snapping his head back and placing the broken blade against his exposed throat. Eli breathed rapidly and shallowly, shuddering from the cold steel lightly touching against his throat.

"The Oracle told us not to hurt either of them!" a woman's voice exclaimed from the crowd.

"Who cares what that old bat says!" a man spoke, "Cut out his throat! Kill the beast!"

" _FUCK!_ " Eli hissed, placing heavy emphasis on the 'f' and drawing it out.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Terrias' form slithered through the crowd, quickly dispatching everyone in his way. Upon reaching Ezekiel, the servine revealed produced a crude shank from seemingly out of nowhere, forcefully pressing a three-fingered hand upon the priest's mouth and forcing the blade deep into the middle of his back. Shoving the lifeless body to the ground, the servine quickly slithered around Alex's body, cutting the Commander loose. Once his weak body fell limply to the ground, Alex slowly picked himself up, ears ringing, the light blinding and painful against his eyes. While Terrias cut Eli loose, Dash trampled her way through the crowd towards them, several angry colonists tailing her closely. Alex stood up, head spinning and nearly collapsing once more, only for the servine to catch him in a supporting arm and guide him towards the rapidly approaching pegasus.

" _Fuck Bloodreaver_!" Terrias snarled, "We're getting our asses out of here! We'll come back when we can get some more reinforcements!" and the servine helped both Alex and Eli onto the pegasus' back, quickly mantling on himself and ordering Dash to take off.

"My shit!" Eli snarled, "They took all my shit!"

"Got it!" the pegasus replied, nodding towards the bags haphazardly slung across her body.

"Don't let them escape!" a woman called from the crowd, and they suddenly found arrows and spears flying around them. Several sharp projectiles punched through the open gaps in Dash's armor, and she cried out as her cyan fur darkened to a rich, blood-red. Alex quickly fished through one of the bags, finding and tearing out his Desert Eagle, relieving the safety and firing towards the crowd, scoring headshots with skilled precision.

"Kill those demons!" Ezekiel's powerful voice exclaimed, and Alex's head snapped back to find the priest standing upright once again, not even phased by the blood running freely down his body, staining his garb. Much to the Commander's alarm, the priest's ashen skin slithered and shifted, as if hundreds of bugs squirmed around beneath. Picking up his staff, he pointed it towards the group, and a swarm of locusts emerged from its end, buzzing as a living black cloud towards the fleeing mutants.

"What the actual _hell_!?" Terrias exclaimed, "What the _fuck_ are these things!?"

"NOPE! Fuck that! Fuck it all! I'm out! I'm done! Fuck this shit!" Alex roared, wide eyes staring back at the insect swarm, rapidly gaining ground and closing the gap between them.

 _We need to retrieve_ Bloodreaver _!_ Necrodusk roared, mental voice enough to violently quake the Commander's head and summon an instant, unbearable migraine.

 _It can wait!_ Alex hissed through clenched teeth, _It's_ way _too dangerous to do anything right now! We need more reinforcements! We know where the sword is! We can come back for it later! It ain't going nowhere!_

 _What if Vergil finds it first!? We can't afford that risk!_

 _You saw what it did to us! You see what these creepy fuckers are_ doing _to us! Too dangerous to go this alone! We need help!_

 _But Vergil-!_

 _Vergil_ definitely _ain't gonna be stopped if we're killed first!_ Alex spat. Bloodreaver _survived this long without getting captured by him! It can survive a little while longer!_

 _It's only a matter of time before he finds it! Especially now that its whereabouts are known!_

 _We don't stand a chance as we are right now! It'll have to wait a little while longer!_

When Necrodusk's protests had finally silenced, although the indwelling archdemon remained very much awake and alert, Alex's heart had a chance to calm. They were now flying over the sea, approaching Tamriel once more, and the swarm of insects—as well as their unholy masters—had long since vanished into the ever-present fog hanging over Alagaesia. Alex turned to face Eli, watching as the black spot from _Bloodreaver_ 's contact, what had once taken up over half of his face, was slowly pulling back. Blue sparks of healing danced across his body, and the Commander could feel the irritating tickle of the healing sparks across his own face and body. Only once they were safely flying over Tamriel's heartland did Terrias break the silence, "What the _hell_ were those things?"

"Note: fuck the Archreaper's Legion _,_ " Eli hissed, "I'll take Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_ over those creepy cunts any day."

"Yeah, well we're going to have to go back eventually," Dash sighed, viciously shaking her head in direct contrast to what she was saying, "We didn't get _Bloodreaver_."

"How do ya expect to _find Bloodreaver_!?" Eli spat, "They'll kill us before we have a chance!"

"That broken sword the priest was using..." Alex began, "That _was Bloodreaver_...or at least, what's _left_ of it."

"The hell do _you_ know!?"

"Necrodusk says so...given that it was _his_ sword once upon a time, I believe 'em."

 _We'll need to restore_ Bloodreaver _to its true form before it can be used against the Alpha Breaker or Vergil._

"Yeah?" Alex physically said, forgetting that Necrodusk was speaking to him exclusively via telepathy, "How the hell you expect us to do that, mate?"

 _Well, it needs to taste the blood of Ophelia once again...whether that means we find a reincarnation of her or we find an artifact that contains some trace amounts of her bloody...it's necessary to restore the weapon._

"Ophelia? Who the hell is that again?"

 _Messorem's keeper, guardian, and herald, the one who created the_ Libro Morturom _and the_ Sigil of the Bound _, and the one from whose blood both_ Soulreaper _and_ Bloodreaver _were forged._

"Great! That's just fuckin' wonderful...another thing on our ever-growing to-do list. Fuck this shit, I'm getting tired of _all_ this crap!"

 _Welcome to Armageddon_.

"What's he saying?" Dash asked.

"Stupid shit about how we need to restore _Bloodreaver_ to be able to even _use_ the son of a bitch, but to do so we need to find either the reincarnation of or some artifact containing the blood of some long-dead wet nurse to Messorem in order to fix it. Cause it's apparently broken."

"How is some blood or a reincarnation going to fix a broken sword?" Terrias asked.

 _Tell Raziel that you will know when the time comes_.

"We'll know when the time comes, according to Necro," Alex grunted.

"Did I ever tell you how much I fucking hate that goddamn demon of yours?" the servine snorted.

"Yeah, he's a bit of an asshole," Alex smirked.

 _Oh, my dear Raziel...if only you knew of the full, unedited history of yours and Messoremel's relationship, you would find your smug remarks both ironic and amusing._

 _His name is Terrias, a'ight? Not this...fucking Raziel or whatever._

Necrodusk sent the Commander a feeling of irritation and annoyance, but said nothing more, falling silent.

"So..." Eli began, breaking the silence, "When we get back to Vernhelm, any idea what the subject of our essay on 'what we did over Summer break' is gonna be? 'Cause I'm not looking forward to reporting our failure, primarily because I don't want to have to go back to that fucking hellhole. Actually, next time, I ain't coming with ya...drag someone else along."

"Fuck you, Eli," Alex grunted, then, privately to Terrias _, Have fun explaining this crap to Piermont._

 _Oh_ , the servine replied, _I'm looking forward to it, don't worry._


	10. Chapter IX: ACDC

_**Chapter IX**_ **:**

 **-''AC/DC''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _25 July 2016_ -**

 **- _0119 Hours_ -**

Ruby shuddered and squeaked atop her mate in the throes of passion, her body trembling around his, and Alex, smiling lovingly towards her, gently stroked her head as she rested in his embrace, her body melting into his. Her breathing was heavy and rapid, her heart racing against his bare chest and her body warm to the touch. She smiled coyly towards him, sparkling blue eyes shining with a shy but deeply unfathomable love and joy, and he kissed her snout, caressing her chubby, sleek-gray form, "I love you, Ruby, my little gemstone."

"I love you, too," she replied, returning his kiss with one of her own, "I'm happy to have you."

"So am I, love..." he chuckled, "So am I."

She sighed, Alex smiling at the tiny, squeaky whistle in her exclamation, "I only wish we could have more children...as painful and uncomfortable as it can be carrying him, I can't even begin to express how happy it makes me knowing that I'm carrying _your_ son, that he was created from _us_..."

"Who knows?" he replied, "Perhaps, someday, we can convince the angels to make a few exceptions and let us have a full, biological family together?"

"I hope and pray every day..." she smiled, curling against him and burying her head in his chest, "I've never felt so loved and happy in my entire life."

"Well, we have each other," he said, petting her, "At the end of the day, that's all that matters...that we can lay in the arms of the one we love..." and as his voice trailed off, he began to hum _You're the Inspiration_ , her favorite song.

Her smile only widened at this, and she covered his chest and neck with kisses, relishing in the intimacy of their post-coital relaxation. Truly neither one of them felt as happy or loved as they did when they were in each others' arms. A love as old as time itself, across many, many years and eras. Against all odds and expectations, the love they felt for each other was surely among the strongest in the world, and despite the difference in species, age, and personality, there was no love stronger or more invulnerable than theirs. The world was burning to the ground around them, and all they cared was that they lay in each others' arms every night. It was a love that no one except them understood, that no one except them was capable of believing or accepting, and yet neither cared. They were soul mates, in the truest form of the statement, and they loved nothing more than when they lay together after reinforcing their emotional and physical pact with one another. As Ruby drifted off in his arms, the Commander remained still, staring lovingly towards his sleeping partner. She slept soundly, wearing a warm smile, and he could tell by her breathing and expression that she slept calmly, without nightmares of fear.

As he watched her, he realized just how beautiful she was, how innocent and youthful she looked despite the countless scars across her body. Of course, his love and attraction to her was subjective, but she really was beautiful, to his eyes anyway. It was something that nobody understood, but he was comfortable knowing that he was alone. Everything about her was beautiful, from her looks to her personality, to the overwhelming and unfathomable love she held for him. They were comfortable around each other, they could let their guards down, and best of all, they were happy. Proximity to one another, especially like this, cured them of their fears and nightmares. Nothing matter as long as they were together. In the light of the fire in the hearth, she glowed with life and youth, and he lightly traced the scars along her body, hugging and holding her, burying his head in her neck, surrounding himself in her presence, losing himself in her thereness. A battle-hardened soldier, he was hard with everyone else except with her. To her, he was gentle, as if she was a fragile flower. He handled her with the utmost care, not wanting to hurt her, only wanting to feel her, to let her know that, even if the whole world was against them, they still had each other, and that would _never_ change.

Many things he wished he could say to her, many things he wished he could admit to her, but he didn't know how to word anything. He didn't know how to tell her how much he loved her, how much he cared about her, how much she brightened his life and his mood. He didn't know how to word the extent of what he would do to keep her safe. His eyes snapped to her pregnant bulge, the dolphin having positioned herself for their session in such a way that he was still able to achieve penetration without adding stress or pressure onto the creature she was hosting, the product of their undying love and loyalty to one another. His memories kept flashing to the image of the young calf in the ultrasound, that feeling of absolute love and pride he felt upon seeing the tiny creature curled up against his mother's womb, and he couldn't help but to smile foolishly at the thought... _he was going to be a father_.

"Ruby..." he whispered to her, tasting her sweet name on his lips, "You are the best thing to have ever happened to me...I wish I could tell you just how much you mean to me...how much I love you...I would do anything for you, you know that, right?" he smiled, "Most importantly, I would die for you..." his loving smile slowly dissolved into a saddened frown, and he laid back once again, staring towards the rafters, hearing only the dolphin's calm breathing, occasionally spiced with a tiny squeak or whistle, and the crack of the fire in the hearth. Outside, snow fell silently from the dark skies to the ground, and Alex watched the warm shadows dancing across the wooden ceiling, "God..." he prayed, stroking his mate, "Please, keep Ruby and I safe. Keep us together, let us keep doing this...keep feeling this. The greatest feeling in the world is when she's in my arms, don't ever let me lose this feeling...ever forget this feeling..." and in a small voice, "Let me find a way to take her as a wife, let us find a way to have more children. I want to have a big family, I want to father many children with this beautiful, loving girl...I want to die surrounded by a family, so that I can do for my children what my own parents were never able to do for me..." then, "Maybe, too, let mom accept me for who I am, accept Ruby and I for what we are. Please, don't separate us again...I don't ever want to wake up without her by my side again. Only she can make my nightmares go away, only she can put my inner demons to rest, silence my warring mind. Without her, I'm nothing but the shell of a broken man, blowing about in the wind without any purpose or reason for life. She is the reason that I keep living, why I keep fighting...little moments like these are why I wake up in the morning...please don't take this away. You can take away anything else of mine...but please, God, don't take away my family. Don't take away my love, or my son, protect us through all of life's challenges and obstacles. Keep us safe and out of harm's way...I can't..." tears quietly streamed down his eyes, and he sniffled, "I can't lose her...I can't lose my son. Without them, I am nothing..." and he finally drifted to sleep, clutching his sleeping mate tightly. His sleep that night, as it always was when he was with the one he loved more than anything else in the world, was free of the horrors and terrors of war and darkness that otherwise saturated his soul.

Indeed, she was the shining beacon of light that kept him from losing himself in the enveloping, corrupting darkness that threatened to take him. Without her, he was lost, and he would _be_ forever lost, groping about in the void that trailed behind him, threatening to swallow him whole. He needed her, especially now more than ever, just as she needed him, if not more so. Something that he wouldn't admit, but was true nevertheless, he needed her as much if not more than she needed him. She was the _only_ source of happiness and, ironically, normality in his troubled, dismal life. The day he lost her was the day that he surrendered himself to the darkness constantly biting at his soul, the day that he finally ceased to fight.

The next morning, Alex was the first to wake, and peering towards his mate, still sleeping soundly and peacefully, he smiled before climbing out of bed, quickly dressing himself. He was aware of Tiberius' distrustful stare as he concealed his nudity, but the Commander phased the raptor out, too exhausted to fight. Now outside in the bitterly cold, windy morning, he leaned against the wall of his longhouse, lighting a hand-rolled cigarette in the corner of his mouth. Dash approached him, her fur glistening in the sunrise, powdered snow latching onto her fur. "You doing okay?' he asked as the pegasus stood beside him, and he affectionately threw an arm around her neck, pulling her close. Her injuries had been stitched up and bandaged, and the pegasus winced as the Commander gently lifted one of her wings to see the injury.

"The wounds aren't healing...I don't get it," she sighed impatiently, "How can someone _without_ access to Cryptonite leave lasting wounds that refused to heal?"

Alex gently stroked the bandaged part of her flank, and she hissed in pain.

"What's even worse," she continued, "It hurts worse than getting stabbed, shot, _and_ nuked!"

As Alex carefully examined the extent of her wounds, her voice adopted a solemn tone, and she frowned, saying in a small voice, "I'm glad Terrias was there..."

"Why?" he asked,casting her a sympathetic glance. Her face was pale, she seemed frightened, "They..." her voice cracked and she struggled to speak, "They tried to...um...they tried to rape me...if it weren't for Terrias..." and her voice trailed into silence, the pegasus sniffling and looking away, attempting to hide her fear.

Gently petting her, Alex said in a low, soft voice, "Don't worry, Dash...it's all over now."

"But it isn't..." she replied, "We couldn't get _Bloodreaver_...that means that we're going to have to go back there..."

The Commander only responded by hugging her tightly, burying his head in her soft, furry neck and gently petting her head. Tears dripping down her face, the pegasus only hugged him back, tightly, refusing to let go.

"It was...probably the most frightening moment I'd had in a long time."

"You were pretty strong while we were there."

She smiled sadly, "Well...don't always believe what the mask tells you..." then, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dash..." and he curled against her, wrapping his arm around her and gently caressing her.

"Stop..." she teased in light humor, "You're making me horny."

"Really?" he replied with a smirk, and the pegasus kissed him, "Yes...and now, you better be willing to pay for that."

"Uh huh...and how do you expect me to do that?"

She grinned mischievously, raising her tail to him to reveal her nether regions, twitching and beckoning for him, "Need I really explain?"

"It's been a long time..."

"Yeah? And?" she kissed his mouth, stretching forward, "Since when did you ever care about that? Now shut up and fuck me, I haven't been penetrated in some time."

"But I'm not horny."

"Then eat me, you're gonna pay for turning me on, sexy."

Alex chuckled.

"C'mon, most people like you would be all over the opportunity...talk about being so hungry you could eat a horse," she giggled.

"Well..." he shrugged, "A little taste shouldn't hurt..." and he walked around until he was behind her, playing with her genitals. She shuddered and sighed, "Why did we ever stop?"

He slid his hand inside of her, making her gasp, and as she turned to face him, he kissed her muzzle, "I guess things just happened like that..."

Dash collapsed to her knees, panting as her body twitched and milked around the Commander's intruding hand, squirting fluid richly scented in her natural musk down his arm and onto the ground. When he finally slid out of her, her entire body, including her wings, twitched on reflex, and she moaned, peering between her legs as that syrupy, slightly yellow-colored fluid oozed out onto the ground, much more than she had ever seen. "Holy shit..." she sighed, "It's been _way_ too long since I had a good rubbing..." and she quickly turned until she was facing him, pouncing upon and knocking him to the ground, kissing him hard and fast. She hissed at the pain in her wings, this time being much more gentle as she pawed at his pants, drawing an erection from him. With her assistance, he managed to remove his pants, and the pegasus, with a few licks across his erection, positioned herself over him and gently lowered until he was inside of her. She violently thrusted and grinded against him until she was brought to a screaming climax, drenching the lower half of his body in a mixture of their fluids, and she collapsed onto him, breathing heavily.

"Alex..." she sighed, "We're gonna have to arrange something...it's been way too long since I've been pounded, and I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't. I can't take long breaks in action...it's too much."

She glanced down at her thighs, giggling nervously, "Sorry for the mess..."

"That's fine...I think?" the Commander replied, leaning on his elbows and unsure of what exactly had just happened.

With Dash back at the longhouse resting, Alex and Terrias walked to the market together, struggling to keep up with Azazel leading the pack. As they headed for the fruit stand, the duo caught sight of Synthia, Faythe, and Violet strolling past, chatting with themselves. "Great..." the Commander spat, "They're still here."

"Who are these bastards? I've seen them out and about."

Alex shrugged, "They're apparently Omniversals...want us to help them look for their brother or something...they're total assholes."

"Yeah...they look the type," and as the duo walked passed, the Commander watched as Violet, quickly checking to ensure no one was around, swiped an apple from the stand, continuing forward with her group.

"Hey!" Alex roared, running up to them, "Stop!"

"Alex..." Terrias began, "Alex! Perhaps we shouldn't..." but the Commander had already raced ahead to engage them. Exchanging glances between his friend and Azazel, still heading towards the meat stand, not recognizing the separation of the group, Terrias, with a swear, ran to catch up to Alex.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Alex hissed, finally approaching them.

Behind, Terrias struggled to catch up, calling over, "Alex! Settle down for chrissakes! It's just a goddamn apple!" but when the Commander showed no sign of slowing, the servine sighed, "Fuck me..."

"Ah... here we go again. Hold on a sec," Violet said to the others, and turning to face the Commander, a mouthful of apple she said, "Yes, Mr. Edgy McBadass, how may we help you today?"

"Why you little..." Alex furiously snarled, only to be interrupted.

"Alex! For fuck's sake, what the hell is wrong with you?" Terrias replied, finally managing to catch up to him, "Settle down!"

Narrowing his eyes, Alex hissed, "And what do you think _you're_ doing, you prissy little bitch! Better cough up the cash to pay for that and then get the _fuck_ out of my town!"

Terrias only sighed, realizing that he was not getting through to his friend. The servine lowered his head into one three-fingered paw, rubbing his temples, "God fucking damn it..." he sighed.

"Heh. Lighten the fuck up, asshole. It's just an apple and I'm hungry. We were just passing through, anyway. And FYI, you really need to improve your attitude towards us," Violet walked up to him, whispering into his ear, "Tails' life depends on it, you know. Didn't Cynder tell you?" Pulling back, she finally noticed Terrias, "What the hell do we have here? Seriously, is there anyone in this godforsaken shithole that actually fucking belongs here?" and pointing towards the servine she snarled, "You're lucky I left my pokeball at home!"

"Hey, piss off," the servine spat, shoving her back, "I didn't do anything to you. What's _your_ problem?"

Synthia looked down to see the medallion she wore around her neck starting to glow, but she didn't bring it up.

"I didn't have one until you guys so rudely decided to interrupt my breakfast."

"You're not making things any better, Violet..." Faythe said, but she was dismissed by the girl.

"Wasn't trying to."

Smirking, Alex lunged towards her, but Terrias quickly reached forward, grabbing and pulling him back, restraining him in place. "Fucking let me go!" the Commander hissed, "I'm gonna fuck this bitch up! Teach her a fucking lesson not to dick around with Alexander _fucking_ Vaughn!"

"Settle down!" Terrias replied, firmly maintaining his grip.

Alex elbowed the servine, striking him in the snout and stunning the Pokemon, who fell back, bleeding from his lip. Blue sparks of healing dancing across his face, Terrias glanced back up to face a fuming Alex, grabbing him from behind and abruptly forcing him back to the ground, "What the _fuck_!?" the Commander hissed.

"Chill out, or _I_ will fuck you up."

"Kinky," Alex spat, smirking.

Ignoring him, the servine turned back to face the Omniversals, staring, amused, at the exchange, "I suggest you leave before things get out of hand."

"Good idea, talking servine. Let's go, girls," Violet said.

Terrias' eyes followed them as they shoved their way past, only for Violet to stop before the fuming Commander, saying "Look... as much as I'd love to slap the bitch out of you right now... I don't really feel like getting shot during the temper tantrum that'll follow. So it's gonna have to wait until later, okay? See ya," and without another word they continued on. As they strolled arrogantly past, Terrias holding a restraining arm against Alex's chest, the servine noticed the medallion around Synthia's neck, glowing faintly.

"Now wait a minute," the servine called to them, voice cold and bitter, slanted, maroon, catlike eyes narrowed, "What's that around your neck? Why is it glowing?"

Synthia looked down at the medallion, then at Terrias. "It's just a medallion. I found it just after my brother disappeared. And I don't know why it's glowing, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, though," she turned back.

"Wait," Terrias called after them, "What happened to your brother?"

"For fuck's sake, Terrias, let them leave," Alex spat, "They don't belong here."

"What happened?" the servine asked again, ignoring his friend.

"Says the jackass with a gun in the middle of fucking Skyrim..." Violet mumbled under her breath.

Ignoring this, Synthia responded, "He just disappeared. He ended up somewhere around here, I know he did...and I'm not leaving until I find him."

"...I'm sorry," the servine replied, voice sympathetic, "Were you two close?"

"No shit they were close," the Commander hissed, "Why else would they be around here?"

"Shut up, Alex," the servine replied, facing them again, asking, "Anything we can do to help?"

"You fuckin' serious, mate?" Alex protested, but he was ignored.

"Well, we could use some help looking for him. Skyrim's a pretty big place after all... he could be anywhere," Synthia said.

"Why don't you stay with us for awhile? Perhaps we can help each other out."

"Terrias..." the Commander warned.

"Alex," Terrias grunted, craning his neck to face his friend, "Think of it like an added layer of security between Ruby and Pierre..." then to the Omniversals, "Just, please promise us you won't say anything to the looney fucking God-nut that hangs around here...or anyone else in this damned town. He's kinda hard to miss...you'll know him when you see him. This entire town blindly follows his psychotic ass...they can't be trusted either. "

"Deal. And thanks for the heads up. Psycho god-nut...got it. I'll keep an eye out and back the hell away when I see him." Synthia responded, turning to leave with the others.

As they watched the Omniversals go, Alex glared at the servine, "I fucking hate you, man."

"Love you, too," Terrias replied with a grin, quickly planting a kiss on Alex's mouth, much to the young man's shock and surprise, "Now, let's go before Zaz freaks out."

As Alex, the last one of his group, headed back to his longhouse, his attention was attracted by a ruckus over at the gates. He turned on his heels, watching as the heavy wooden doors opened and Ulfric, with Dante by his side, trotted along into the compound on their horses. The Commander broke into a jog, running over to greet them, and upon spying him, the king of Skyrim raised a hand in greeting, "Commander Vaughn, I was just going to call for you."

"What brings you all the way out here?" Alex asked, "You didn't have to."

"I heard some rather...unpleasant tales concerning a few of your companions, I figured it would be less dangerous if I approached you directly instead of luring you out here...do you have somewhere quiet we can talk?"

Alex led the duo back to his longhouse, opening the door to allow the king of Skyrim and his second-in-command inside. Upon entry into the well-lit parlor, the fire pit making the chamber comfortably warm and melting the snow that had accumulated on Ulfric's bear cloak and Dante's armor, the duo were greeted by Ruby, sitting down beside Azazel and the raptors. Tiberius cast them both a vicious snarl, baring his fangs and hissing towards them, only to be chided by his sister. "So what's going on?" Alex asked, thanking Azazel as he handed the three of them a cup of freshly brewed mint tea.

"We've had a new threat arise, one that doesn't seem to be related to the Empire."

" _Filios Diaboli_?" Ruby asked.

"Nor them," Ulfric continued, "It's a force unlike anything we've seen before. They attacked Riverwood, laid waste to it within the hour, and when we tried to send reinforcements down to aid in the defense...they were swiftly cut down."

"Who was it?" the Commander asked.

"I do not know," the king replied, "I was hoping that I could convince some of your men to investigate...all we know is that they have a powerful battlemage that prefers lightning magic. It is this one who has slaughtered my people."

"We can check it out, sure," Alex replied, "I'll try to assemble a small army to go...we don't have much with most of the settlement on our asses."

"Are you sure you can get out of the area without endangering yourself or your people?"

The Commander nodded, "Which is why you didn't have to come all the way down here."

Azazel collecting the cups and slipping back into the kitchen niche, offering them both more tea which they declined, Ulfric nodded towards Alex, "I do apologize for the abrupt summons, but I don't want to worry my people, if I can help it."

"Whatever you need, mate," Alex replied, "We'll check it out, report back to you with what we find."

"It is much appreciated," Ulfric replied, "Now, we must be off...the Jarl of Whiterun has demanded to see us," he chuckled, "It seems you pissed him off a bit."

Alex grinned, "Yeah, well..." the Commander sobered again, remembering the severity of the situation, " _Filios Diaboli_ thralls had possessed the guards...we had no choice but to fight them off."

"I'll have my men look into the matter, you take care of yourself, Commander."

"You, too, Ulfric...would hate to lose you to Vergil's forces."

"If that demon hopes to conquer me, I only pray he's willing to fight," and Alex opened the door, allowing the two out.

"You need an escort back to the gates?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Farewell, Commander, and may your sword stay sharp and your shield remain steady."

Watching the two climb onto their mounts and head back to the compound's entrance, Alex gently closed the door, hearing Ruby say from behind him, "Who will you take with you?"

"I want you, Zaz, Tiberius, Athena, and Sapphire to stay here...keep an eye on Dash if you can. Rapid will be staying here, too, in case you need anything...the others downstairs?"

Ruby nodded.

"Good, can you have Jazz or Rapid send for Terrias?"

"Where are you going?"

"I need more shit for my smokes, forgot to pick up tobacco when I was downtown. Oh, and Ruby, I want you guys to stay in that safe room."

The dolphin nodded, "Don't worry, we will."

"Good...I'll be right back," and he left the house, quietly closing the door behind him and tightening his fur cloak against the bitterly cold, Skyrim winds.

"So what do we have going on?" Terrias asked, on horseback.

"Better question...we don't even get some time to recover from the Archreaper's Legion?" Eli replied bitterly, "Fuckin' hell."

"Welcome to Alpha Company," the Commander replied, riding bareback upon Cynder, grabbing gently on one of her horns for support. Kira sat behind him, the harpy's arms wrapped around his waist, "This is the kinda shit we do when we're in the middle of a war."

"Right, so...what exactly do we got going on?" Rocket asked, also on horseback, with Scarlet's arms wrapped around his waist. The red fox had her sniper strapped across her back, and as their horse trotted across the uneven land, it smacked against the beast's flank, giving the raccoon difficulty in handling it.

"Was hearing something about an unknown party burning Riverwood and some mage that's slaughtering everything?" Jazz asked, riding on a third horse.

"You heard correctly, mate."

"Must be pretty damn important if Ulfric came down here to speak with us directly."

"Well...apparently these fuckers slaughtered most of the town, including almost all of the men he sent down there. So yeah, sounds serious to me."

"Imperials?"

"No, nobody knows, that's why we're checking it out. Whoever they are, they're obviously too powerful for Ulfric's men."

As they crested the hill, Cynder said, "Oh my God..." and Alex turned towards the scene ahead of him, heart sinking. Although they were still several kilometers away from the town, they could see thick plumes of rich black smoke rising into the air, and the world reeked of death and char, carrying on the soft breeze.

"Get down there..." Alex replied, jaw dropped, and without another word, Cynder took to sky, flying towards the town. Kira slid off of the she-dragon's back, spreading her own obsidian-black wings to fly alongside them. Producing her spear, what she had been carrying in a strap behind her back, she braced herself for a fight. Behind them, the rest of Alex's party brought their horses to a full gallop, racing down the hill in an attempt to catch up to those on the wing. Cynder folded her wings and came to a smooth landing just outside of town, Kira landing beside her. Relieving the safety from his AK47 and preparing it to fire, Alex nodded for the she-dragon to continue carefully on, the others soon catching up and slowing their gallop to a cautious trot.

The town was eerily quiet, and there wasn't a corpse in sight...it was almost like the town had been completely abandoned, and was burning quietly to the ground. "There's got to be an ambush..." Terrias remarked, "No way this isn't a trap."

"Watch your six..." Alex replied, dismounting Cynder and affectionately petting her head before continuing on, his glances never averting from the ruins ahead. As he brought the ACOG scope of his rifle to his eyes, he scanned the area, focusing his senses to identify the slightest change in his surroundings.

Once they were about halfway into the town, Eli called from behind, "Alex! Behind you!" but before the Commander had a chance to respond, something struck him hard and fast in the back, flinging him several yards down the street until he came to a rolling stop on the hard, cobblestone road, gasping to retrieve his lost breath. All around him, what appeared to be an unofficial militia, not even wearing any identifiable armor or uniforms, rushed out of the ruins, firing on them with fully automatic weapons. Alex's team fled for cover, returning fire against the attackers, and just as the Commander picked himself up, retrieving his AK47, a soft, furry hand pressed itself tightly against his face and he was forcefully spun around, finding an all-too-familiar face staring him down, headbutting him and throwing him effortlessly back.

"Fucking hell!" Alex spat as he landed, scurrying onto his feet and dodge-rolling a blast of lightning into cover, retrieving his dropped AK47 in the process, "Sonichu!? What the _fuck_!?"

"Long time no see," the elemental chuckled, launching a ball of powerful wind towards him, knocking him out of cover. Instantly, he was assailed by the levitating, yellow, anthropomorphic hedgehog's powerful electrokinesis, "Don't think we've forgiven you for what you did to us!"

"I thought Deitus killed you!" Alex spat.

"No...Chris...father...and I were the only ones who made it out of there alive. We were originally hoping that it wouldn't come down to this but...the feds refused to cooperate with us."

With a powerful blast of thunder, Alex broke out into a sprint, running as fast as he could in circles around the hedgehog as, raising one arm to the sky, a beam of electricity shot from suddenly-appearing, swirling clouds in the sky, following the Commander's every move in a steady, continuous beam of plasma. Occasionally, streaks of lightning shot from the beam, zapping towards the Commander. The air reeked strongly of ozone and the residual energy in the air was enough to make every hair on his arms and neck stand on in. His sprint slid to a grinding halt as a powerful beam of lightning tore _through_ the ground in front of him, and he quickly rolled out of the way of the tracking beam, finally having caught up to him. The sound of powering electricity filled the air again, and the Commander's head snapped to the left to see the hedgehog rising into the air, lightning striking the ground all around him. He glowed a faint gold, his eyes completely overtaken in a solid, glowing yellow, and with every swipe of his arm towards the Commander, electricity fired from his palms and fingertips, narrowly missing Alex. He laughed wildly, voice tinny and electric, with a slight, empty echo to it, and Alex had to remain constantly moving to avoid being struck down.

He fired his weapon towards Sonichu, but the bullets were diverted away from his body, curving around him as if repelled by a magnetic force that lingered around him. Eyes still glowing gold, spikes still tall and erect, the hedgehog continued, his voice still airy, metallic, and echoed, "It will take a lot more than simple bullets to put me down!"

Switching tactics to utilize his own elemental powers, Alex summoned a ball of fire in the palm of his hand, lobbing it towards the floating hedgehog. In a streak of lightning, Sonichu teleported away from the attack, appearing directly behind the Commander in _another_ streak of lightning, grabbing Alex's throat from behind and lifting him into the air. Alex flailed, hissing and swearing in an attempt to break free from Sonichu's surprisingly powerful grasp. Instantly, a surge of electricity shot through his veins, and the Commander cried out, body twitching spastically. "I'm coming, Alex!" Terrias exclaimed, tearing a collapsed rafter free from the ruins of a burning house, quickly impaling an attacking militiamen on it before tearing the object free, running to where Sonichu hovered, preparing to throw the board like a lance. As it whistled through the air, approaching the floating hedgehog, he vanished in another streak of lightning, and the object clipped Alex's side instead, knocking him back to the ground. Trapped underneath the board, he tried to lift it off of him, finding that his hands refused to respond from Sonichu's electrifying attack. Terrias appeared before him, lifting the burning board off of the Commander's chest and helping him to his feet. Alex shoved him to the side as Sonichu appeared directly ahead, launching a series of rapid-fire,missile-like lightning projectiles towards them.

Alex rolled to the side, out of the way of the attack, quickly recovering to launch another fireball at the floating hedgehog. The attack connected this time, knocking him out of his hover and throwing him to the ground with an echoing, electric grunt. As he picked himself up, the solid, glowing gold in his eyes faded as they returned to normal, his spikes lowered slightly, and his voice returned to normal, "You will pay for that!" he hissed. The ground quaked behind him, and his head snapped back as a pillar of rock punched through the ground behind him, rapidly approaching him. A blast of lightning and he teleported away again, just as the pillar crashed into the wall of one of the ruined buildings, shattering into a rain of dust and shards. "Fuck!" Terrias spat, the earthly-green glow around him dissipating, and he quickly peered around for where the hedgehog would appear next.

Behind and above him, Sonichu reemerged, wielding a charred spear, and as he prepared to fall down onto the servine in an attempt to impale him from behind, a screech like that of an eagle tore through the air, and a back-and-red blur rammed into the elemental's side, forcing him into the ground, the impact creating a small crater in the middle of the street. Kira stood over the downed hedgehog, her spear punching through his gut and into the ground. The unconscious Sonichu's form shuddered and flickered before exploding in a shower of sparks, and Kira cried out, falling back, sheltering her head from the onslaught. Sonichu's laughter reverberated throughout the ruined village, and all participants in the showdown, Alex, Terrias, and Kira standing beside each other, the others still engaged with the militiamen, turned to see five clones of the hedgehog, moving in perfect synchronization, floating above them. Four of the clones flickered before exploding in a sea of sparks, and the _real_ Sonichu summoned a ball of yellow electricity in the palms of his hand, preparing to toss it towards them. Before he could get his attack off, Cynder took to the wing, pouncing upon him in flight and forcing him into the ground, baring the dozens of small, razor-sharp teeth that lined her muzzle and snapping down towards his neck. He thrust his arm forward to block her attack, and she closed her mouth over it, viciously snarling and tearing at the limb snapping her head about like a rabid dog.

With his free hand, he grabbed onto her face, sending a burst of electricity through her body. Instantly, her muscles tightened and she fell to the side, body twitching uncontrollably as streaks of electricity spread throughout, and the frozen dirt around her lower belly darkened as she uncontrollably evacuated her bladder, golden fluid washing the dirt from the ancient cobblestone. Sonichu picked himself up, baring his fangs, snarling and breathing with a hiss, clinging onto his badly bleeding, mangled arm. "You bastards haven't seen the last of me!" he roared, vanishing in an explosion of electricity and wind that sent everyone in the immediate vicinity flying backwards.

Alex's party was the first to recover, and while everyone else finished off the surviving militiamen, the Commander himself quickly ran to where Cynder lay, still locked in the throes of her seizure. "Cynder!" he exclaimed, kneeling beside her and cradling her body, howling as the residual electricity quickly transferred to his own body, paralyzing him and causing him to double over her form. When at last the remnant of electricity had left his form, he was left on the ground, arched over Cynder's side. His lungs burned and refused to work properly, his heart raced, he struggled to breathe, his entire body was numb, and the air smelled richly of charred flesh, ozone, and urine, nauseating him. At last, he managed to right himself, with great effort, and he turned to the side, vomiting until only bile emerged before falling onto his back, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for the pain to reside.

"Shit! Alex!" Terrias exclaimed, running up to him and helping him to a sitting position, "Are you okay?" he asked, checking the Commander's vitals. His hands still trembling violently, he harshly grabbed Terrias by the collar of his jacket, violently pulling him close before letting go and falling back down again.

They arrived back in Vernhelm long after darkness had settled, and a blizzard rendered visibility to nearly zero. They hurried through the empty streets, Kira slamming the front door and holding it open while Terrias, one of Alex's arms thrown around his shoulder, supported the Commander into the living room. Eli and Jazz supported Cynder, one of the she-dragon's forelegs wrapped around each one of the duo's necks, and they gently dragged her into the house lowering her in front of the fire. "Thank you..." she managed, voice hoarse, and she tried to pick herself up, legs wobbling briefly before giving out. With an exclamation and a small, almost timid roar, like a wounded, yelping puppy, she fell to wooden floor with a powerful thud. Instantly, the group could hear running below them, followed by rapid ascension of the ladder, and the trapdoor in Alex and Ruby's bedroom was thrown open, spilling out the rest of the group, the dolphin at the front. The hurried into the living room, tending to the newly-arrived party.

"Oh crap!" Rapid exclaimed, crouching before Cynder with Ruby kneeling and helping Alex to his feet, "What happened?"

Eli, leaning against the stone hearth, patting the mud and blood from the various cuts across his face with an alcohol-soaked rag, spat, "Some fucking electric porcupine!"

"It was Sonichu..." Alex said, still trying to stabilize his shallow breathing, "Terrias and I had a bad encounter with them when we were in prison...he's pretty pissed."

"Who? What happened exactly?" Rapid asked.

Once Alex had explained everything that happened, including what he and Terrias had encountered and done when they were in prison, Rapid took a seat, rubbing his face. The skunk appeared exhausted, eyes sunken in.

"See? This is why you don't want to piss off people," Jazz spat.

"Says the fuckin' Shade King?" Alex snarled, and the rabbit fell silent, shrugging submissively.

Tiberius smirked, "Serves you right, Thanatos."

"Piss off!" Alex spat, "I haven't done a single goddamn thing to you!"

"You don't want to make me angry!" the raptor growled, baring his fangs and hissing, lashing his tail back and forth and crouching forward, as if preparing to pounce.

"Brother!" Athena exclaimed, in shock, "Don't be cruel!"

"Tiberius," Ruby commanded in a startling firm voice, "Leave him alone."

Reluctantly, the male _deinonychus_ fell silent, straightening from his attacking stance, "He deserves every bit of it. Karma is a bitch, no?"


	11. Chapter X: Eldritch

_**Chapter X**_ **:**

 **-''Eldritch''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _26 July 2016_ -**

 **- _0547 Hours_ -**

 _Every day, the Alpha Breaker grows stronger...more and more worlds are destroyed. You are running out of time!_

 _Alex looks ahead of him, watching as the mighty wyvern, the Alpha Breaker, slithers around in the empty, beam-dotted void that marks the_ Inner Dimension _. With an ethereal roar, the beast approaches towards him, opening its maw. An orb of blinding white light begins to form, and just as the beast fires it like a laser beam, and the heat of the light envelopes the Commander..._

...his eyes snapped open and he found himself in his room once more. Viola's voice echoed in the whistling wind, audible through the walls, repeating her warning.

 _You are running out of time..._

The Commander, clad only in his boxers and an undershirt, climbed out of bed, throwing on his bear fur cloak and slipping outside. Positioning himself against a tree, away from the bitter wind, he squeezed his eyes shut against an oncoming headache, relieving himself. The slithering of a warm, scaly object across his backside startled him, and he jumped, nearly pissing on himself in the process.

"Sorry..." Cynder spoke from behind him, and Alex released his held breath, finishing up and rotating to face her.

"Scared the piss out of me..." he paused for a moment, "Quite literally."

She laughed, an adorable sound, and she struggled to hide a smile, blushing, "Sorry...I didn't mean to."

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, "Pretty fine, muscles are a little stiff but..." she shrugged, crouching to relieve herself, "Other than that, feel pretty good...what about you, sexy?"

Alex chuckled, grinning widely, "Well, the experience was pretty shocking."

Cynder sighed, "For the love of..." she shook her head, "I can't believe you just said that."

The Commander laughed, "And I still can't believe you pissed yourself."

"We're not gonna talk about that," the she-dragon snorted, shining black scales briefly slithering across her body, "Or you might wake up to an unpleasant surprise yourself."

"Kinky. I've never experimented with that particular fetish before, but I guess there's a first time for everything...just so long as it's yours and not mine," he grinned.

Cynder sighed, this time playfully, "You're messed up in the head. Besides, I'm shocked you and Ruby haven't done something like that, thought you would have tried _everything_ by now."

"Nah, not everything, and you _surprised_ I'm fucked up?" Alex chuckled, "Took long enough to catch on, huh?"

"You're just lucky that I happen to find 'crazy' kinda sexy," she winked at him before starting her walk back towards the house, "Goodnight, Alex, I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, Cyn..." he replied, looking briefly towards the _aurora borealis_ in the sky before returning inside.

 _You are running out of time..._

That following morning, Alex sneaked outside, leaning against the side of his house and lighting a cigarette. He eyed Terrias walk up the steps towards the house, nodding towards him, "How are you feeling?"

"Fan-friggin'-tastic," the Commander chuckled, offering the servine one of his smokes. Terrias shook his head and Alex, with a shrug, replaced the pouch in his pocket, "Anything from Pierre?"

"Not a thing," the servine replied, "Kinda shocked really."

"Haven't seen him out preaching lately."

"I think Cynder fucking up his eye scared him a bit...quite frankly, I'm glad. He's starting to scare me."

" _Starting_ to?" the Commander smirked.

"You know what I mean," the servine grunted, leaning against the wall, trench coat buttoned up against the cold, "I'll be honest...can't wait until we get back to New Alexandria. I don't mind the cold...normally...but this is getting ridiculous, tired of waking up every morning to find my balls frozen to my bed."

"You don't _have_ balls," Alex chuckled.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" the servine grinned, playfully punching his friend's shoulder, "In all seriousness...I commend how tough these guards are to brave this kind of weather year-round, but I can't handle it. I tolerated it for awhile, but now I'm ready to get back to American summer."

"Hell, at this rate, it'll be Winter before we can get back there."

"Great...so let's live in Texas or Florida for awhile, get a few months of sun and warmth before making the trip back to Montana. Plus, bestiality is legal in Texas, so there you go," the servine chuckled.

Silence fell between them for several minutes, and as Alex dropped the cigarette to the ground, drilling it into the snow with the toe of his black, scuffed combat boots, he leaned back, noticing his hand trembling...but not from the cold. "Fucking hell...that cunt may have done some nerve damage. I'm gonna castrate and disembowel that son of a bitch the next time I see him," Alex growled.

"How's Cyn?"

"Fine...got up last night to take a piss, she snuck up on me..." he grinned mischievously, "Offered pissplay."

"More information than I needed to know, but hey, good for you..." then, "How's the nightmares and hallucinations?"

"Surprisingly lacking, given all the stress I've been going through lately. My...eh...self-medication on nicotine and alcohol probably helps things, and Ruby has a way of giving me peaceful sleep...did have some really weird-ass nightmare last night, though."

"What about?"

"The _Inner Dimension_ and the Alpha Breaker..." Alex shrugged, "Think Viola's been haunting me, which is just fucking wonderful. Actually, both her _and_ her brother won't leave me the hell alone."

"What exactly do they want from us?"

"Hell if I know, I just want them gone."

"Hopefully, once we kill Vergil and stop that Breaker, things will return to normal..." and the servine nodded towards the countless Minor Beams dotting the horizon, "Kinda hope those things start going away, too. I don't want to accept that they're permanent...it's unsettling, don't know why. Oh, and before I forget," Terrias nodded towards him, "You ain't the only one with weird-ass dreams."

"You, too?"

"Yeah, but not about any of this ethereal, celestial shit. Mine keep taking me back to the Second Civil War."

"New York?" Alex replied in a low voice.

"Nah...just...the war in general. I can't say they're exactly flashbacks or memories either. A lot of facts are mixed up, things are different which...y'know...is pretty typical for dreams...but what's strange is that something about this feels different...almost like they're visions."

"You going crazy, too?"

"Christ, I hope not," he then frowned, "At the front of it all is 'Necro'. His ghost is a talkative little fucker, and oddly friendly."

Alex grinned, "You're losing your shit, mate."

"If I am, then do me a favor: put a gun in my mouth and pull the fucking trigger. I refuse to become what Piermont is. As I've said many times before, I may agree that you and Ruby should _strongly_ consider what to do about this child, but I also don't believe that she should be forced into something she doesn't want, and I believe that what happens is ultimately your choice. You reap what you sow, and if this has any negative consequences, should you choose to let the child live, that is all on you."

"A burden I will gladly accept," Alex replied, and he smiled faintly, "You should have seen it, man...when we saw that ultrasound..."

"A baby dolphin in the womb?" Terrias shrugged, "Big fucking deal."

"More than just that...I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that this child is...he's mine. That it's...he's...the product of the love Ruby and I share...but I've never felt more love for something than I did when I saw him."

"Hope it's not sexual love."

"Oh _fuck_ no! That's disgusting!"

Terrias threw his arms into the air, "Hey, I'm just sayin'! We all know you have some...peculiar...carnal tastes."

"I'm not going to fuck a baby dolphin, especially my own son!"

"You almost banged Ruby back in '74 didn't you?"

"Well...yeah...but that's a different story."

"Not really," and Terrias clapped him on the back, "Still pedophilia, mate."

" _She_ raped _me_!"

"It was an acid trip," Terrias laughed, "You were hallucinating, there wasn't anyone there, especially not a horny shadow-dolphin."

"No, it _was_ real," Alex replied soberly.

"Uh huh...sure, Alex, whatever you believe."

"You don't understand..."

"I _do_ understand," Terrias replied in good humor, "You pissed off that hippie at the bar, he spiked your drink, you went on a bad trip. That's exactly what happened, there was no divine intervention that created some imaginary shadow-dolphin to fuck your brains out."

"It looked _exactly_ like Ruby does _now_ , only difference was that this one was a silhouette!"

"You had a rough, subconscious idea of what modern-day Ruby looked like due to your connection with her as No.1. You might not have been aware of this, but hallucinogens have a funny way of shorting wires and connections in your brain. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if your mind artificially—even if accurately—aged this hallucinated Ruby when she fucked you so that you wouldn't feel any guilt over the fact that she—at the time—was less than a month old. You had a boner for her, your mind justified this by aging her up a little, that's it."

Alex sighed.

"Anyway, we're straying _way_ off topic here."

"I wasn't aware we had any solid conversation going on. Thought we were just bullshitting about random crap."

"Perhaps..." then, "So what exactly do we have on the itinerary today?"

"I don't know...I'm just rolling with the flow like I always do. What we do is ultimately up to what the world decides it _wants_ to do."

"Well...for now anyway, wanna get breakfast?"

"Asking me on a date?" Alex grinned.

"If you wanna call it that, sure," and Terrias laughed, "Just remember, I don't fuck on the first date."

"But this _isn't_ our first," the Commander replied with a grin.

"Oh...well, I guess you have a point," he stretched, "But if you want to take a ride to Cloud 9, you're gonna have to get the old soldier up yourself, he's been feeling a little... _down_ lately."

"Nope, _I'm_ on top, remember?"

"Damn it, you're no fun."

As they walked down the steps towards the square, heading towards the small inn located near the gate, they heard a shrill, high-pitched squeak, breaking the otherwise still, morning silence. "What the actual hell?" Alex asked, glancing around.

"It's just a bird, sounds like a hatchling," Terrias replied, continuing forward, "Nothing that important."

"Kinda outside mating season, dontcha think?"

"It's cold year round, up here. Plus, who's not to say that these Minor Beams aren't messing with animal behaviors. Look at Alpha and how weird _they've_ been acting lately."

"But you said..."

"Just kidding, man," Terrias chuckled, "Chill out, why are you so wired today?"

Finally, Alex's eyes fell upon a fallen nest, laying on the ground just off the side of the wooden steps dividing his longhouse on top of the hill with the rest of the settlement below. He crouched beside it, picking up a stick and gently shoving around the remains, finding a pile of shredded down, broken egg shells, and one dead chick, its neck twisted completely around. Its sibling, however, was still alive, cheeping wildly, its leg badly mangled. The Commander gently lowered the opened palm of his bionic arm towards the ground, watching as the hatchling struggled to hop into it. Once in place, he carefully cupped his hands together, lifting the small critter up and cradling it against his chest. Although he couldn't tell what it was, it appeared to be a bird of prey, with a hooked, yellow-and-black beak, dark white-spotted, dark-gray down. It fell silent, cocking its head to the side and staring at the young man, and sheltering the creature against the cold, Alex ran to catch up to his friend, "Yo! Terrias! Check this out!"

The servine paused in his stride, turning to watch as Alex caught up to him, uncupping his hands to display the tiny chick, sitting clumsily in the Commander's palm, curiously cocking its head towards the servine. "Into birds now?" Terrias sighed, "Fuckin' hell, Alex."

"Fuck you," Alex scowled, "You know what it could be?"

"Dunno, I'm not an ornithologist."

"A what?"

"Someone who studies birds..." then, "How you intend to feed it? They eat worms, you know."

"You can do that for me then," Alex grinned.

"...You're not seriously going to adopt it are you?"

"Why not?"

"What the hell are you gonna do with a bird!?"

"I dunno...train it. Many people throughout history have used militarized birds in combat."

"Poor thing, better get out now while it still can. Anything that lingers around Alpha Company or Alex Vaughn tends to die young."

"Fuck you," Alex spat, cradling the chick, "I'll call him Blake."

"Dunno if Eli will be too happy about that," Terrias grinned, "Fucking hell, man, I dunno what to do with you."

Heading back to the Commander's longhouse, he and Terrias passed by a small group of guards, no doubt part of Piermont's congregation, tailing Cynder taunting and insulting her over her unattractive and wounded eye. The she-dragon held herself firm, trying her best to ignore them, but even from here, Alex could tell their taunts were getting through to her and she was struggling not to cry.

"Hey!" the Commander roared, racing up to his dragonian mate, "Back off!" he spat, grabbing one by the shoulders and throwing him back. Angry, the guard pulled out his battleaxe, threateningly approaching Alex.

"I advise you back away from here, this has nothing to do with you," he said.

"Leave her the hell alone!" Alex spat, "You fuck with her, you fuck with _me_ , got it?" he shoved the guard back, "You hear me?"

The guard raised the ax above his head, preparing to bringing down upon the Commander, Alex blocked the blow with his bionic arm, the weapon clashing off of it with a metallic _clang_ , "Leave her alone or I'll rip your fucking throat out!" he hissed.

The guard debated whether or not to continue pushing, with a shake of the head from his companion, he sheathed his weapon, "We'll take our leave, for now," and they turned, walking away.

Alex crouched beside Cynder, crying in silence. Placing a comforting hand on her head and pulling her close, he asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, whispering, "I'm tired of this...I'm tired of being hated..."

Alex broke the embrace, gently stroking her face, wiping the tears from her stunning, emerald eyes, "Nobody _hates_ you, Cyn...and even if someone did, who cares what they think. I still love you."

She slowly nodded, sniffling, and she buried her head in Alex's chest, allowing him to comfort her with a gentle pat on the head, "I feel so alone..." she said.

"You're not alone," Alex replied, "If anything, I'm here for you...and I'm never going to leave. You and Ruby are my family."

From his pocket, they could hear faint cheeping, and Cynder straightened, cocking her head to the side, "What's that?"

"Oh..." and Alex reached in, pulling out the tiny bird, which grabbed onto his thumb with its soft beak, whipping its head around and trying to tear at it.

The she-dragon's eyes brightened, the unhappiness and loneliness vanishing, "Aww! She's so cute!"

"His name is Blake," Alex replied, "He's my new pet."

"You going to mutate him?"

"Probably not, mutating everything seems only to be escalating our problems," the Commander grunted, "Wanna see what it's like to have a normal, non-mutated companion for once."

Cynder chuckled, "Good luck seducing him then."

Terrias broke out into wild laughter, "See what I mean? I was saying the same thing!"

Alex sighed, "You know, I'm not as bad as everyone seems to think I am."

"Well...you are pretty bad," Terrias chuckled.

Cynder smiled, kissing his mouth, "That's one of the many reasons why I love you, though..." then, "He's a cute bird...looks like a falcon or an eagle, not sure which."

"Nest fell from a tree, looks like his baby brother didn't make it. When I found him, his leg was all broken and mangled, fixed it up for him," and Alex gently placed the chick onto his shoulder. It slid along until reaching his neck, digging itself beneath his head and curling into a small, fluffy ball against his throat, closing its eyes.

"He seems to like you," Cynder said.

"Might had been lucky enough to impress on him," Alex replied.

"How are you going to feed him? Thought you didn't like handling worms? And here, at least for awhile, you'll probably have to grind them up for him."

"I'll figure something out...maybe get Ruby to do that for me."

 _Alex opens his eyes, standing up and glancing around him. His head pounds painfully, his whole body aches and burns, and he can barely breathe. The ethereal roar of the Alpha Breaker reverberates in his ears, and only now does the Commander realize that he's in the_ Inner Dimension _once again._ Why do I keep ending up here? _He asks himself, but without really knowing why, he fells compelled to walk ahead, to explore this stony, arched hall he's in. For hours, he follows the maze of corridors, somehow knowing exactly where to go, and before too long, he follows an impossibly long staircase, emerging out to find himself upon a balcony. The brick tower he stands upon continues further, ever higher into the sky, but he pauses on this balcony to look out over the expansive_ Inner Dimension. _Luminescent white clouds line the ceiling and floor of this realm, and ruined towers dot an endless see of clouds, with countless, thick, blindingly bright pillars of light acting as supporting columns between the two layers of cloud cover._

The _Inner Dimension...Necrodusk thinks to him, and in the blink of an eye, Alex starts as the shadow-demon stands beside him, a red-eyed, shadowy silhouette with a vaguely humanoid yet dragonlike form. Both stand side-by-side, staring out into the endless expanse, seeing the serpentine Alpha Breaker slithering around in the distance, smashing into the Greater Beams and shattering them like a bullet through glass, raining luminescent white shards down into the clouds below. With the breaking of each Beam, parts of the clouds above fall towards the ground, kissing and sending a quakelike rumble through the entirety of the_ Inner Dimension _, creating a powerful gust of unnatural wind that blows Alex's clothes around him, even if he can't physically feel it._

" _How did I get here?" Alex asks the indwelling, demonic spirit._

Someone...or some _thing_...is summoning you here, _the demon replies, mouth never moving, voice omnipresent._

" _But why? I don't understand."_

" _Neither do I," Necrodusk admits, "But this is concerning."_

 _Suddenly, the Alpha Breaker appears behind them, ramming into the balcony and shattering the building they're standing on in half. Half of the ancient, crumbling structure collapses toward the floor of the_ Inner Dimension _...the Base World, and Alex quickly hits the ground against the earthquake. More chunks of the floor crumble and fall away taking Necrodusk down, and Alex extends a hand, grabbing onto the shadowy presence, now clinging on for dear life. As the Commander pulls back, attempting to help the shadow-demon onto stable ground, more and more of the balcony collapses around them, threatening to cut off their exit._

 _At last, Alex manages to heave Necrodusk over the edge and back onto the unsteady structure, helping the silhouetted creature onto his feet and taking off towards the rest of the tower. Necrodusk hot on his heels, Alex slips into another endless staircase leading upwards, taking the steps two at a time, never feeling tired. Behind him, he can hear the Alpha Breaker smashing into the tower, attempting to knock it into the Base World, and Alex continues to outrun the unholy abomination. "We need to stop this thing!" the Commander exclaims, thrown to his feet by more violent quaking and barely managing to hop onto more stable ground as the stairs beneath his feet crumble and fall away into the swirling abyss below._

We can't! _Necrodusk exclaims,_ Not without _Bloodreaver_ and _Soulreaper!_

" _Is there_ anything _we can do?" Alex asks, terrified._

" _Keep running and hope it'll get bored of us!"_

 _Another violent quake, accompanying the sound of shattering glass, knocks Alex to the ground, and as he falls forward, he feels Necrodusk fall_ through _him_. _Instead of passing entirely through his body, however, Necrodusk is forced back into Alex's body, as if sticking to him like glue. He can feel the added weight of the demon's presence, and forcing himself to his feet, Necrodusk screams_ DON'T STOP _! Violently shaking Alex's head and sending a wave of pain and nausea rocketing through his body._

" _What's going on!?"_

It's trying to destroy us! We need to get out of here!

 _Instantly, Alex tries every tactic he can to wake himself up from this nightmare, but nothing sees to be working._

You fool! _Necrodusk scowls,_ We are not dreaming! This is reality! We have been separated from our body and thrown here! We must escape! If we die in the _Inner Dimension_ , so, too, will we die where we come from. We will be wiped cleanly from the world, and no trace of our prior existence will remain!"

" _How do we get out of here!?"_

Keep running!

 _With the Alpha Breaker slowly gaining on them, Alex and Necrodusk finally manage to reach the top of the tower, throwing open the door and falling out onto the roof, watching as the Breaker flies circles around the tower, opening its rocky maw to spew what appears to be gold-and-black fire down upon them. Around them, the tower continues to groan in protest, massive chunks of it cracking and collapsing into the bottomless abyss below them. Cornered, with nowhere left to go, Alex begins to panic, collapsing to his knees and repeatedly smashing his head into the cobblestone floor as much as he possibly can, hoping to shock himself awake._

There should be a portal here! _Necrodusk exclaims, panicking,_ Where is it!?

Pitiful, mortal creations, _a deep, proud, and powerful voice speaks, also omnipresent,_ You weren't sent here to escape, you were sent here to die.

" _Let us go, Vergil!" Alex roars, "We want no part in your games!"_

" _Oh, my friend..." and the Commander shields his face against a brilliant flash of light before him, revealing the multiversal Vergil hovering in the air in front of him, positioned as if mounted on a crucifix, "This is no simple_ game _! This is reality, this is the New World. Soon, the Alpha Breaker will complete its task, and the world as you know it will be_ mine _to rule!"_

 _Just then, another powerful quake, this one worse than any other, tears through the building, and it finally disintegrates beneath them. As Alex free-falls towards the clouds below, screaming in helpless horror, he manages to fall into a Beam. A powerful, searing heat tears through his body, and he feels as if something is being ripped from his insides. He's aware of a very obvious lost of weight, and just as he feels whatever heavy weight in his body vanish, he shields his eyes against the blinding intensity of the quickly approaching cloud cover, before finally entering the bitterly cold, all-encompassing mist. Still, he falls, for what feels like an eternity, until the clouds part and he finds himself staring at an aerial view of the Gothics as seen from the stratosphere. The ground, obscured in the shadow of Earth, grows closer and closer, he screams as he begins to make out shapes on the ground, and finally he sees himself falling towards his longhouse. He braces himself, expecting a violent collision. Instead he passes through the ceiling like a ghost, falling towards his sleeping form, curled in fetal position around Cynder in the basement's guest bed, before finally falling into his body and..._

...His eyes snapped open and he shot up with a scream. Cynder was instantly awake and tending to him, attempting to calm him. In the light of the fire pit, he could barely make out her ruby-red belly glowing with a brilliant fire, and she forced his head into her chest, holding and rocking him. Her heart raced in his ears, more terrifying images of the _Inner Dimension_ rocketed through his head, and as he squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to ward off the haunting images, he was soothed by Cynder's gentle humming and soft purring, rapid heartbeat, and the faint, dissipating smell of her natural musk, radiating from the slightly-open darkness of the horizontal vent at the base of her tail, crusted with the remains of their recent session.

"Shh..." she soothed in a low whisper, "It's okay...it's okay...I'm here, Alex, I'm here..."

"The Breaker..." he managed, "It's coming, it's tearing everything apart!"

"It was just a dream," she continued, "Shh...it was just a dream."

"We're all dead! We're all gonna die! It's too late!"

"Shh...everything will be okay, it's fine, it's okay. Just breathe, breathe...take a deep breath. Relax."

Finally, her heartbeat slowed and he felt his breathing slow to match. Once he had mostly calmed from the hellish nightmare, he chanced to lay back down again, Cynder straddling him and casting him a deeply concerned expression, "What happened? Everything okay?"

"I just..." he shook his head, face glistening from sweat, "I just had a really bad nightmare...that's all."

"Was it about me...?" the she-dragon asked with a frightened glance, afraid of his response.

"No..." he replied, violently shaking his head, still trembling, "No, no, no..it wasn't anything like that..."

"What happened?"

"I just...I-I had a dream that I was in the _Inner Dimension_...the Alpha Breaker was chasing me a-and...and...?" he fell silent, the rest of the dream completely fading from memory, "I don't remember..."

"Shh..." Cynder replied in a small, soft, soothing voice, laying atop him and closing her mouth over his, breaking the kiss to stroke the matted hair out of his eyes with one ivory claw, "It was just a dream..." she smiled, "Everything is okay, everything will _be_ okay," and she hugged him. Alex clung to her tightly, burying his head into the soft scales of her neck, smelling strongly of her musk, further soothing him. For several minutes, they remained locked together, until she finally broke away, casting him a sad smile, "Are you okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah...I just...fucking hell..." and he sat up in bed, watching as his hands trembled uncontrollably, as much as he fought to control it, "I...I need a smoke..." he climbed out of bed, throwing on his fur cloak to cover his nudity before climbing up the ladder and emerging into the quiet, empty parlor, illuminated by the fire burning brightly in the pit set within the center of the room. Digging around in a drawer next to the door for his leather pouch, he forced the door open, stumbling outside and sticking one of the freshly-rolled cigarettes into the corner of his mouth, producing a small flame in the palm of his hand and using this as a light. Cynder quietly slithered outside, sitting on her haunches next to her human mate, wrapping her neck around his and resting her head on his shoulder. Inhaling deeply, he reached over to pat her, feeling the rapid, almost therapeutic vibrations through her belly scales, extremely hot to the touch, and listening to her deep purring.

Only once he had calmed and the trembling in his limbs stopped did he notice a strange emptiness in his mind, as if something had up and left. _Necrodusk?_ he asked, finding no response, _Necrodusk? You there?_


	12. Chapter XI: Divided We Fall

_**Chapter XI**_ **:**

 **-''Divided We Fall''-**

 **-New Bethlehem, Virginia-**

 **- _26 July 2016_ -**

 **- _1219 Hours_ -**

"Father, I can confirm that the furry and his pet snake are living within Skyrim," Sonichu began, appearing in the the quarters of Christian Chandler, his creator, in a streak of lightning.

"They're still alive!?" the fat man protested, scrunching his nose to raise his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, peering out beneath his long, greasy, dark brown hair.

"The furry's pet dragon got a lucky shot off," Sonichu replied, raising his heavily bandaged arm.

"Well find them and kill them! We have a job to do!"

"Are you sure we should be taking orders from that demon?"

"We made a deal, and we're expected to keep up with our end of the bargain! Besides, I want them to pay for what they did to me."

"You mean us?"

"No! I mean _me!_ They dare to think that they get away with doing such horrible things to me! They raped me!"

"They raped us both..." but when he was ignored, Sonichu only sighed in submission.

"Well? Don't just stand there! Go find a way to kill them!"

Alex sat down on the frozen ground at the top of the hill upon which his house set, gently petting the sleeping Blake, sitting comfortably on his knee. Cynder paced back-and-forth restlessly in front of him, lost in thought, "Maybe he's sleeping a little deeper than normal?" the she-dragon asked.

Alex, focusing on his new pet, shook his head, "No...even in his deepest slumber, his presence wouldn't just completely vanish."

"Well, I'm sure there's a reason for why Necrodusk disappeared...he wouldn't just up and leave you without a reason...given that you two have such a strong, symbiotic relationship going on."

Suddenly, Cynder fell silent, nodding ahead, "Who's this guy?"

The Commander looked up from the chick, seeing an unknown man lumbering up the hill, almost like the undead. His skin was ashen gray, his eyes were a deep, dark maroon, and his short, black hair was combed back and neatly kept. He wore a long, flowing, black cloak, and he was about as tall as the Commander, thin and sickly.

"Excuse me, sir," Alex called out, "Can I help you?"

The man waved him off, "Don't recognize an old friend?" he said, chuckling darkly, and smiling, baring his fangs, "Frankly, I'm offended."

Alex curiously cocked his head, "Necro...?"

"I don't know what that fucking Breaker did to us..." the human-form Necrodusk growled, "But whatever he did...well..." and the archdemon withdrew a curved, obsidian dagger from his waist, slicing open his arm and watching his richly-colored blood drip to the ground, "I am corporeal now. Though for how long exactly is uncertain."

Flexing his arm, the wound healed soon after in a sea of blue sparks and Alex approached the man, smelling faintly of sulfur, hugging him tightly, "Thought you were dead."

"Quite the opposite in fact," Necrodusk replied, "But now my unlimited knowledge has been capped...I do believe that's what I find most irritating."

"You two look like twins," Cynder chuckled, "Or at least, Necrodusk looks like your goth, evil twin, Alex.'"

"We both share the appearance of Archangel Messoremel when he was...whole," the archdemon replied in his deep, raspy, airy, and slightly layered voice, "So you could safely deduce that we _are_ twins...we are two halves of the same being after all."

"Does every reincarnation of Messorem look the same?"

"Yes," Necrodusk replied, "Generally, reincarnations will look the same as their past forms. The most notable instance where this isn't the case lies when reincarnations happen across species. Take, for example, you or Vitamel. Your human forms, however, bare an uncanny resemblance to your angelic forms. Kalmiya, or Kira as you call her, on the the other hand, does still look like she did back then, despite her feathered parts."

"Interesting..."

"Necro...what did the Alpha Breaker do to us?" Alex asked, finally speaking again.

"I'm not sure..." the archdemon replied, "It destroyed one of the towers of reality, that much I _do_ know...they operate in conjunction with the Major Beams to frame the very threads of reality."

"So it wasn't a dream..."

"No, we were summoned to the _Inner Dimension_...and somehow it split us into separate forms. I'm still trying to decide how that could happen."

"Well..." Alex began, spreading out his arms, and stepping backwards, "Welcome to Hell."

"Hmm...hardly seems very 'hellish' to me."

"Well," and the Commander spun around, heading back to his longhouse and placing Blake on his shoulder, "Welcome to Armageddon at least."

Once inside the house, Necrodusk said, "I must be honest, I am deeply concerned for Deitus' reincarnation."

"Why?" the Commander asked, fishing out a bottle of mead from a cabinet.

"Because the angels don't like humanity very much...they don't make deals unless it benefits them to some degree...and who's not to say they won't tether some sort of trick onto the deal at that."

"You mean like demons do?"

"Demons were once angels once, remember?" Necrodusk chuckled darkly, "Or have you forgotten where we came from? Anyway, I deeply fear what will happen when the child is born."

"What do you think _will_ happen?"

"Uncertain, but that is why I'm concerned. I don't really _trust_ the angel hierarchy, especially since all they really care about is reforming Messorem so they can let Lucifer destroy the human race once and for all. Think of it this way, the angels' interests are more aligned with Lucifer's than they are yours. A few of the more...arrogant...archangels are zealous in their hatred of the demons, such as my oldest brother Michael for example, but many of them would trust a demon before they would trust a human. It's this reason why I believe you should be weary of placing full, faithful trust into their hands."

"And here I was thinking that Gabriel was my own personal genie," Alex replied sarcastically.

"Ah yes...Gabriel, despised by the angels because of his affinity for the human race...even if he loves playing them like fools at the same time."

"Just don't be surprised if Deitus doesn't turn out _exactly_ like you expected. The ultimate goal is to reintroduce him into the _Old Regime_ due to his former placement within it, not to be friendly and make amends with his mother and father."

"Alex!" Fox suddenly began, the scientist entering the house, "I haven't seen you in awhile." 

"Where have you been?" the Commander asked.

The doctor briefly sent Necrodusk a worried glance before turning back to face Alex, "Nick and I just returned from New Alexandria...the city is still in one piece, in case you were wondering."

"Any sign of Zinnia?"

"No," the scientist sighed, and Ruby entered the room from the bedroom, yawning.

"Did you find Lucy?"

"Sorry, Ruby..." Fox replied, "We couldn't find her either...nor could we locate Heinrich or Aphrodite."

"Who are you?" the dolphin asked, looking towards Necrodusk with a frightened, shy expression.

"Your friendly, neighborhood shadow-demon," Necrodusk chuckled darkly.

"It's Necro," the Commander replied, "Remember that dream I told you about this morning? Apparently it wasn't a dream, it was real, and somehow we got split from each other."

The dolphin frowned, "Is this bad?"

"I don't think so..." Alex said, "But I _do_ want to know what this whole thing is about. How the hell are we supposed to kill the Alpha Breaker?"

"We need _Bloodreaver_ and _Soulreaper_ ," Necrodusk replied, " _Soulreaper_ to trap it in one of the capstone worlds, making it corporeal enough for _Bloodreaver_ to kill it."

"Hey, what's that?" Fox interrupted, nodding towards Blake, sitting as a ball of fluff atop Alex's shoulder, cheeping as if knowing that the scientist was referring to him,

Alex flattened his hand before the chick and Blake hopped into it, flapping his downy wings and spreading soft fluff everywhere. The Commander approached the scientist, cupping the tiny bird in his hands and holding it out to Fox. Pushing his horn-rimmed glasses further up the bridge of his nose, the balding doctor examined the creature, "What in the bloody hell are bald eagles doing this far from North America?"

"Bald eagle?" Alex said, surprised, "He's a bald eagle?"

" _She_ , and yes."

"How the _fuck_ can you tell its sex?"

"The depth of her beak, too deep for a male."

"Are there any animals you _can't_ identify?"

"Yes," Fox replied, glancing back up at Alex, "But I still know a lot of them. You know me, I do love my research. Least you don't have to worry about your wormy phobia," the doctor chuckled, "They eat fish."

Alex sighed in relief, although he tried to hide it.

"So aside from your new pet and Necrodusk's new form...what did I miss?"

"Not much...did you manage to bring back any supplies?" Alex responded, replacing Blake on his shoulder. The eaglet cheeped at him before burrowing herself back under his chin, squatting into a ball against the side of his neck.

"Some ammunition, some medicine, aside from that, unfortunately not a whole lot. The city's in one piece, but most of the citizens packed up and got the hell out of dodge...place is almost resided entirely now by _Filios Diaboli_ and enthralled guards." 

"Shit..." Alex breathed, "We need to find a way to take it back."

"I agree...but we don't have nearly enough manpower or supplies to declare open war on Vergil and his troops...we _really_ need to concentrate on preparing ourselves. It's a high risk going against them with the little numbers we have as it is...victory will be determined by strategy here, and that's only if we can get the drop on them—and keep it—for any length of time. We have our work cut out for us, indeed."

"What about Vergil's soul manipulation? Or his Lifehunt? We can't necessarily fight back against that," Necrodusk said.

Alex nodded towards the demon, "Exactly...I forgot he had those."

"Perhaps if we could find a being without a soul...he can't control it."

"How do you expect we do that? Thought everyone and everything that is born gets a soul?" the Commander asked.

"That's the unfortunate part about it...it will be impossible to find someone that doesn't possess a soul. Unfortunately, in the state we are right now, it won't be that difficult to take us down, especially since he has no clear weaknesses. If he so desired, he could destroy us all with a snap of his fingers, Multiversals are very powerful beings."

"Why hasn't he?" Fox asked.

"Unsure," Necrodusk replied, "But that is most disconcerting."

"Maybe he's keeping everybody alive for the sake of Deitus? Since Ruby _is_ carrying him."

"Unlikely, but possible nevertheless."

While Fox returned to his quarters in the basement and Necrodusk went out for a walk, taking the opportunity to explore, Alex slipped back inside of his bedroom, smiling upon spying Ruby sleep soundly, wearing a smile in her slumber. Tiberius and Athena were curled around her, resting as well, and just as the Commander left his room, Cynder approached him, "Hey...you mind if we go for a walk?"

The Commander chuckled, "Want some private time with me? I thought that's what _last_ night was for."

"Well, I was hoping that perhaps we could go fishing...get some food for Blake."

Glancing towards the sleeping eagle, Alex shrugged, "Sure, not like I have anything better to do."

Walking down a trail in the middle of the forest, heading towards the fishing hole that Alex and Terrias frequented, silence hanged between the Commander and his dragonian mate, broken only by a comment on the temperature or the beauty of nature from the she-dragon, who seemed distracted with something. Once she finally began to speak, Alex instantly tuned in to listen, "I...had a dream last night."

"What about?" he asked, curious to what she was going to say. However, she wore a graven expression and seemed scared or perhaps worried about something.

"Actually, it was a nightmare...you and I were cuddling together, watching the snow fall over Vernhelm from our porch...then Spyro and Piermont appeared, and they started to beat you, they threatened to kill you. I was scared and I...I just watched it happen, by the time they were finished with you, you were barely conscious, hardly recognizable...and I felt so horrible that I didn't step in...I felt so guilty."

"You're worried about Spyro," Alex replied, "Can't say I blame you."

"Can I be completely honest with you?"

"Of course."

"I..." she shook her head, "As much as I miss him, and I miss what he had together...I kinda...don't want him back. I don't think I will ever feel safe around him."

"I feel so guilty because this isn't his fault and he's the father of my children but I...it's like the love between us is gone. It died with my mistake, and it's just been a rotting carcass since," she sighed, "Is that a bad thing? Does that make me selfish?"

"No, he hurt you, he's been constantly hurting you for years...there's nothing selfish about wanting to get away from that abuse."

She chuckled sadly, "You know, back when the love between him and I was strong...he was always at the front of my thoughts, I was always dreaming about him at night and...I was always longing for his sweet touch..."

"Not anymore?"

She shook her head, "No...all that's changed."

"Now what do you dream about?"

"You..." she replied in a small voice, "I feel so horrible, and I feel like I'm getting between you and Ruby but I..." she sighed, "You're all I think about now..."

"Bad?"

"Good..." she smiled, "Loving..."

Alex crouched beside her, surprising her with a hug, "You know I'll always be here for you," he chuckled, "I kinda knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to be your mate."

She blushed, "You didn't really have much of a chance...I sorta forced myself onto you."

"Trust me, Cyn, if it was forced, you'd know. Was it surprising? Yeah. Did it catch me off guard? Quite a bit, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't secretly hoping for it the whole time. You are quite attractive for a dragon," he grinned.

She only blushed more, frowning, "Stop...you're making me horny."

"What's new?" he laughed, then, "Let's try to remember what we're down here for. Then if you're still wanting some fun...I'll see what I can do."

Continuing further on, Cynder asked, "Do you think Spyro will try to track and hunt me down? Or that he might try to hurt you in retaliation for me leaving him?"

"I think he's all bark and no bite..." the Commander frowned bitterly, "He's always been that way. Honestly, I should have put you as my second-in-command, or waited and put Terrias in that position."

"Spyro's much smarter than me, much more tactical and strategic."

"Nah, you got him beat..." he shrugged, "I don't know _what_ I saw in him."

"Maybe his loyalty?" Cynder replied, "I mean...the first time you encountered _me_ , I kinda tried to kill you..."

Alex laughed, "Nah, I took no offense to that. Hell, I found it kinda sexy."

"You were attracted to me even back then?" 

Alex shrugged, "I was attracted to _everybody_ , awkward teen years with hormones raging out of control and a serious desire to get laid...I was so damn desperate I would have taken any opportunity that arose. To say I didn't think of a way to convince you to let me mate you would be a lie."

"Do you regret what we did?"

"Hell no! What makes you think that? Like I said, I secretly wanted to find a way to hook up with you...I just didn't think it'd be something that'd last as long as it did. Once or twice maybe, not ten years worth. And no, I don't regret a single moment of the time I've spent with you, so don't worry about that, either."

"Well, I'm not sure if I regret giving myself to Spyro first, instead of you. The only reason I _didn't_ approach you sooner is because I was afraid how you, as a human, would react to such a lowly creature like myself wanting to be mated by you."

"Hey, don't think that way...he still loves you."

"Pfft...he stopped loving me a long time ago."

"I think Piermont has just fucked with his head a bit...Terrias rose a good point awhile back. Losing people and mounting stress has left everyone susceptible to corruption over the mind bank...some have it worse than others. I hope that, if something happens to Piermont, he'll return to normal."

"Do you want him to die? Piermont, I mean."

Silence from the Commander for several moments, "Pierre is suffering...I hope that someone puts him out of his misery...but at the same time, I can't do it, nor can I _knowingly_ let someone do it. Despite everything he's done, and everything he's _still_ doing...at the end of the day, he's still my friend and I would still sacrifice anything to protect him. Just like, regardless of what happens, Spyro is _still_ your mate..." Alex sighed, "And I've seen Terra out in about...he's taking good care of her. She's getting big..." his voice trailed and he turned to face the she-dragon, "Cynder...if you ever want to go back to him..."

"No," the she-dragon replied, "Don't say anything, don't finish that statement...I don't want to hear it."

He only pursed his lips, looking towards the ground before standing to his full height, continuing his stroll towards the lake. Cynder stood back, alone in the middle of the road, looking sadly after him, her head hanging low.

"Wait...Alex?" and she quickly jogged up to him.

Alex turned around, and the she-dragon hopped up onto her rear legs, wrapping her forelimbs around his neck and kissing his mouth. She rested her forehead against his, affectionately wrapping her bladed tail around his waist. They looked into each others eyes for a few seconds, his cold, blue, killer's eyes soft and full of love, longing, and faintly of hurt, when they met her sparkling emerald eyes, "I love you, Alex."

He said nothing, maintaining his silence, and after several more seconds, she hopped down onto all four legs, sadly watching as he continued on, not even turning back to glance at her. Blake began to cheep on the Commander's shoulder, but the Commander gently cupped and stroked the little bird's head, silencing her.

 _Why do I hurt everyone I love_? Cynder thought sadly to herself before walking ahead, staring towards the ground in silence and shame.


	13. Chapter XII: Carne Diem

_**Chapter XII**_ **:**

 **-'' _Carne Diem_ ''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _17 August 2016_ -**

 **- _0100 Hours_ -**

Alex stood in the doorway of his bedroom, watching Ruby sleep soundly, smiling in her dreamworld. Tiberius and Athena had wrapped themselves protectively around her, and Alex didn't dare disturb them. In the light of the fire in the hearth across from the bed, she had a certain glow about her, she looked so youthful and happy...it was the happiest he _had_ seen her in a long time. "Something wrong?" Cynder whispered behind him, and Alex turned back to see the she-dragon sleepily approach him.

"No," he replied, "Everything's fine...what are you doing up?"

"Had to pee...saw you standing here," she yawned, revealing her countless, tiny fangs, "What are you doing?"

He grinned, remaining silent for several minutes before asking, "Am I weird for saying that she looks beautiful?"

"No..." the dragoness replied, "You love her, of course you would think she's the prettiest thing in the world..."' then, grinning at him, "You've called _me_ beautiful a few times...what makes her so different?"

He shrugged, "Suppose you're right..." then, "She looks so happy...I've never seen her smile so much than she has recently."

"Well, she has a baby on the way, she's on those herbal medicines to control her stress and nightmares, and most important of all, you're here with her, and you're showing her the love and attention she needs." 

He shook his head, "Given how she's been given less pleasure recently since I've started alternating between the both of you...I'm surprised she's not _un_ happy, or at least jealous."

"You know, there's a lot more that makes a girl happy than sex. Just being loved, being cherished and taken care of...being treated like a queen...that is the quickest way to a girl's heart," the dragoness nodded towards the sleeping dolphin, "This is the longest amount of time you've actually been in proximity to her since you two mated. You were together for like six months before the Reapers took you away, then you were gone for a year, then when you came back, she was in the asylum for awhile. You broke her out, spent like six months with her before you and Terrias got arrested, and was away for, like, another however-many-months you were gone. This is the largest amount of consecutive days that she's woken up to see you there waiting for her...plus, like I said, she's pregnant with your son, and I'm sure that makes her really happy, too. Just look at me..." she smiled, blushing, "You've showed me more attention the past few months than you have in a _long_ time, as well...I'm happy, too."

"Still dunno how I manage to grant equal attention to the both of you..."

She hugged him, "You're a miracle worker, that's how..." then, kissing his mouth, "Goodnight, Alex," and he watched her leave back into the living room. She had recently hit another growth spurt, typical of her species at her age, and was now almost as tall as his five-foot-eight height when standing on all fours, growing ever larger by the day. Her body had thinned considerably as well, very curvaceous, slender, and feminine, especially in her face. Her eyes, once blue-green and roughly the shape of an adult cat's, had now thinned a bit and were more angular, and they were a deeper shade of teal, almost purely emerald in color. Her horns, too, once short and slightly curved back, were now thinner, longer, and the curve was more pronounced, especially as each horn neared the tip. Even the coloration had darkened from a bright, dull, milky white, to a natural ivory. Her sleek, black scales, were a darker shade and more reflective of light, appearing like tiny pieces of obsidian, and her blood-red belly scales had brightened to a lighter, duller shade. The musky odor that lingered faintly around her, especially pronounced when she was aroused, had become stronger and almost sweeter. Before too long, the she-dragon was going to be as large, if not larger, than Piermont.

The few times he had seen Spyro out and about, Alex had also noticed that the purple dragon was growing, too. He was slightly larger than Cynder, the rest of his baby fat had melted away, pronouncing his muscles, his scales had _also_ darkened, as did his belly scales. His snout had a more bullish appearance now, his eyes, too, had seemed to thin and slant, although more in a threatening than feminine manner. In addition, a piece of scaled fat dangled from beneath his mouth, resembling a fleshy beard, and he was bulkier in appearance. It seemed that before too long, the small dragon would tower over Piermont, much like his mate. His attention then returned to the sleeping Ruby, and he remembered when he had first encountered the dolphin in 1974...she was just a small calf back then, he could have easily cradled her in his arms. At ten years old, she had already pretty much reached her full size, towering several feet above him, but she was also thinning, despite her pregnancy, as much of the excess fat melted off to make her sleeker and more hydrodynamic. She had also begun to lactate, proving that it was only a matter of time before the child was born, even if she had hardly been pregnant for six or seven months, compared to the usual gestation period of about one year for other members of her species. He wouldn't doubt that this might have something to do with the mutation serum...or possibly the angels' urgency to resurrect Deitus and bring him back into the _Old Regime_. He recalled that some animals were capable of holding off labor until they felt safe enough to bear children, and he wondered briefly if Ruby would do the same for the child, whether consciously or not.

Piermont's once-weekly sermons were now becoming an almost daily ordeal, and the Commander worried about what would happen. Normally they would sleep in the safe room underground, but he had just returned home after his weekly fishing trips with Terrias to find the dolphin already asleep in his aboveground bedroom.

Deciding now to wake the dolphin or her bunkmates, Alex quietly climbed into bed, accidentally pressing his elbow into Tiberius' snout when he tried to get comfortable. The raptor instantly jolted up with a snort, growling lowly towards the Commander, who quickly scampered out of bed, slowly backing his way out of the room, the male raptor's eyes tracking him wherever he went. Realizing there was no way he was going to get past Tiberius, Alex, instead, left the bedroom once again, returning to the living room and navigating towards the small bed at the other end of the room, directly in the light of the fire, where Cynder slept. He climbed in beside her, stirring her as he tried to get comfortable. Sleepily, the she-dragon only passed him and understanding nod before shifting positions so that she curled around him, resting her warm head on his chest and beginning to purr. Gently stroking the female dragon, he drifted off into a troubled sleep.

When the Commander awoke the next morning, he felt his hand resting on something hard and warm. Glancing down, he spied Athena curled into a tiny ball on the floor by his side, finding that she had nudged his hand onto her pink-striped back. He looked around, finding Cynder gone, and sitting upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he heard Athena stir below him. She blinked towards him, reptilian eyes widening at the sight of her adopted father. Sitting up, stretching, and sitting on her haunches, Athena said, "I'm sorry that Brother chased you away last night."

"You heard that?"

She nodded, "I don't understand what's wrong with him...yes, you were Thanatos...but you aren't anymore."

"Hoping that one day he'll love me...who knows though."

" _I_ love you," and Alex smiled, scratching her eye orbit, "Well that's good."

"You are Father," she nodded, "I love you, just like I love Brother, Mother, and Brother Zazzy."

"You seen Cynder anywhere?"

"Yes, she said she was going to the market to feed Blake."

Alex looked around, "So _that_ 's why that noisy little bird didn't wake me," he chuckled, climbing out of bed, dressing himself, and stepping outside into the shockingly warm morning. It wasn't exactly warm enough to start melting snow, but it _definitely_ wasn't terribly cold. In the breaks of wind, the temperature was about forty degrees, not unpleasant, giving him just enough respite before another breath of icy wind blew past, chilling him yet again. The sun hadn't even crowned yet in the horizon, and already the market was busy with citizens shopping for supplies. Thankfully, no one paid him any mind, he doubt _half_ of them recognized him, since he had been growing out his facial hair. He found Cynder at the fish stall, Blake perching on her shoulders. The eaglet, a little bigger than she was when the Commander had found her, was starting to lose some of her down, and her coloration was slowly darkening from ashen gray to brown. The bird's head snapping around, upon sight of Alex, she cheeped and flapped her downy wings, arousing the attention of the she-dragon, who smiled warmly towards her human mate. Alex jogged towards the dragoness, extending a hand which Blake readily hopped onto before raising it level to his head, allowing the chick to take her favorite position on his shoulder, digging her way beneath his neck.

"Thought you were sleeping with Ruby last night?" Cynder chuckled.

"Yeah, well Tiberius had other plans."

"I know, Athena told me...what did you do, exactly, to piss him off?"

"Hell if I know," Alex grunted, "I don't know why _everyone_ here hates my ass."

"Not everybody," the she-dragon replied.

"Yeah...well _most_ everybody, at least."

"Look on the bright side," Cynder began, kissing his mouth, "The people who _really_ matter still love you, who cares what everybody else thinks."

He smiled, "Yeah...guess you're right."

"So, did you sleep well?"

"Next to you? Who wouldn't?"

"Well, I'm sorry about Tiberius...but I admit, I'm glad you slept with me last night...you make a nice pillow," she winked at him.

Heading back to the Commander's longhouse, Alex said, "Hey...thanks for taking care of Blake for me."

"No problem, sexy," the she-dragon replied, "Figured you'd want to sleep in, you looked so tired. Plus," she chuckled, "You looked absolutely adorable while you were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you."

"Blake wake you up?"

"Well, I woke up to a little fuzzy ball of fluff slapping my face with her furry little wings, so yeah."

"Aww, she likes you."

"I thought _you_ were her daddy?"

The Commander grinned, "Maybe she thinks you are mama then, she thinks her wings will someday grow as big and strong as yours."

Cynder laughed, "Well, perhaps...guess if you and Ruby have a few adopted kids, it's only fair that you and _I_ get one, too?"

"Jealous that Ruby is pregnant?" Alex asked, still smiling widely.

"A little bit..." the dragoness replied, "I loved having children, despite how badly it'd mess me up sometimes."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For hurting you."

She shrugged, "It was my own fault...I don't know why I didn't recognize you."

"Do you wish you could still have kids?"

"A little, yeah...but it's not like it would make much of a difference anymore. Spyro and I are no longer together, and even if we _did_ get back together, I don't think there's any way I could get intimate with him again without worrying about being hurt...and obviously you and Ican't reproduce. Either way, my days of laying clutches are done. It was fun while it lasted I suppose."

"I'm sorry..."

"Like I said," she replied with a smile, "It's not your fault," she nuzzled him affectionately, purring, "I'm just happy that I'm still alive...and I'm happy that _you_ are still alive."

"You guys are going to make me puke," and both Alex and Cynder turned to see Terrias standing beside them, wearing an amused smile, his arms crossed against his chest, "Get a room."

"Why?" the Commander chuckled, "You'd still want to see anyway."

"Yeah, but the other people out here don't," he grinned widely, "'Sides, I only wanna see your dick, Alex, not Cyn's puss...no offense."

"None taken," the dragoness giggled.

"What do you want, man?" the Commander grunted.

Terrias shrugged, "To say hi, and also to ask what we should do about ye olde Omniversals over there," he nodded to where Synthia and her clan were resupplying.

"I don't care," Alex replied bitterly, "I hate those bastards."

"I'm not really that fond of them either, but the sooner we help them, the sooner we can get them out of the way and worry about more _important_ matters, like Vergil."

"I don't understand why such _almighty_ beings are willing to take out that goddamned multiversal, since I'm pretty sure that Vergil is _their_ problem. Sam said that the Omniversals drove all multiversals to extinction, and surprise motherfucker, one is still alive. I'll be willing to help them when they finish cleaning the mess they made."

"I still think we should help them..." Cynder said.

"No point, they should just kindly fuck off," Alex growled.

"They have _Tails_ , Alex, the least we could do is _talk_ to them."

"What?" Terrias began, surprised.

"What? Alex didn't tell you?" the dragoness replied, surprised, before quickly glaring towards her human mate.

"Why would I? There's no proof!"

"Tails is alive?" Terrias said, "But I thought..."

"He's not," Alex interrupted, "He can't be."

"C'mon, Alex! You saw the proof!"

" _Anybody_ could spend three hours sowing together some goddamn fursuit tail with a semblance of realism...I'm not convinced."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because if he _was_ still alive, why would he wait until _now_ to show himself? Besides, I find it a little too coincidental that these 'Omniversals' appear soon after Vergil makes his presence known...especially considering that they claim that the reason they're here has _nothing_ to do with the arrival of that glorified fuckin' demon. Aren't multiversals supposed to be their ancient enemy or something? Besides, why would they give a rat's ass about us? We're just some stupid-ass mortals to them...it doesn't make sense."

"I think the better question is how they know of us enough to know Tails came from us to begin with..." Terrias replied, lost in thought.

"Which is why I believe them when they say that Tails is still alive," Cynder replied, "There's no other way they could know who he was."

"Then why would he wait until _now_ to show himself to us?" Alex spat. 

"That...I'm not so sure."

"Either way, I _still_ don't trust 'em. This shit is too coincidental for my liking...and it's bad enough that we have Viola and Vigil looking after us, too. Note how neither _one_ of those goons say anything about those two. All I know is that they fire off all kinds of red flags, and my gut tends to be right."

"Regardless, I think we should at _least_ play nice for now...I would rather not piss them off if they really are as powerful as they seem."

"We have bigger fish to fry than to worry about finding that bitch's goddamn brother."

"I agree with Cynder," Terrias replied, "We should play it safe and keep them on our good side...for now. That doesn't mean we need to open our hearts to them, tell them our deepest secrets, and bullshit like that...but at least treat them with some semblance of respect. If they really are as powerful as they say, it's best that we _don't_ antagonize them."

"Fuck's sake...fine."

"Thank you."

"Bite me."

"Hey, looks like we have ourselves a spectator," Terrias said, nodding ahead.

Alex and Cynder both turned, seeing Spyro standing at the far end of the plaza, staring the three of them down. There was a peculiar clarity in his eyes, something that been nonexistent for quite some time, and accompanying this was what almost seemed to be hurt.

"Anyway," Terrias interrupted, moving his lips as little as he could, "I should really report to Piermont..." and he walked away.

Alex and Cynder remained in place, their eyes locked with the purple dragon's, until Cynder suddenly wrapped smacked her lips against the Commander's, slipping him her tongue and passionately kissing in a highly exaggerated manner. By the time she broke the kiss, and Alex stumbled in place, surprised by her sudden force, the purple dragon was nowhere to be found.

"It's the little things," the she-dragon said coldly.

Upon entering his longhouse, Necrodusk approached him, wearing a graven look, "Glad to have found you."

"What's wrong?" the Commander asked, noticing the archdemon's distress.

"We may have a problem, there's an unknown, bloodied man wandering around outside of the city. Guards saying there's something off about him...perhaps we should investigate."

The Commander nodded, turning towards the living room, where the rest of the house's occupants were talking, "Kira, Jazz, Eli, suit up!"

"What's wrong?" the rabbit asked.

"We've got a job to do," and Alex approached the nearby closet, unlocking and opening the door, pulling out the last three clips for his AK47—and the weapon itself—and slinging it over his shoulder. Jazz grabbed his Barrett .50 caliber, along with the last two clips of his weapon, while Eli reclaimed hiss crossbow and Kira chose only her spear.

"Where are we going?" Eli asked.

Exiting out through the spruce wood gates into the icy tundra beyond the city, Alex asked Necrodusk, "So where's this guy?"

"Down the road a ways, follow me."

After about an hour, and with Whiterun on the horizon, Necrodusk, leading the pack, raised a hand to stop them.

Pointing forward, he said, "There he is, up ahead."

In the distance, they could see their target...a short man stumbling around as if drunk, moaning and howling in an almost animalistic manner. His clothes were in tatters, and he was completely soaked in blood. "Something isn't right..." Alex began.

"What are you talking about?," Jazz replied, "It's _perfectly_ normal to walk around covered in blood and rags."

Nodding ahead, Alex led his comrades forward, whispering beneath his breath, "Hold your fire until we know which side this guy is on."

Upon approaching the stranger, the Commander, "Oi! You need help?"

Instantly, the man straightened, head snapping towards them in an almost animalistic manner. His eyes were glazed over, his flesh was pallid and peeling, exposing pink muscle and clean white bone beneath, and blood caked around his mouth, hands, and the front of his shirt. With an inhuman growl, he charged towards them at an impossible speed, head and arms flailing about. Alex's unit fired towards him, but he didn't even flinch at the hail of bullets, even as they tore his arms and legs to shreds, leaving him a torso on the ground. A cloud of red mist swirled around his stubbed limbs, and they watched in horror as they regenerated and he stood back up once again, snarling and stumbling towards them. He swung his arm out, and that red mist appeared once again, growing his arm to an astonishing length and trying to grab onto them, pulling them towards him. When his grab failed, the red mist pulled back into his body, reducing his arm to normal size.

Arrows whistled past them, and Alex's group turned to see a group of patrolling guards running towards them, weapons drawn and preparing to attack the zombie-like creature ahead. The creature swiped again, this time his extended arm grabbed onto one of the guards and pulled her towards him. He pounced upon her, slashing and tearing with a mad howl until all that remained was a bloody pulp, and the Commander watched in horror as the gore from his newly-mangled kill dissolved into mist, surrounding the monster and absorbing into his body. "Jesus Christ!" Alex howled, rolling to the side to avoid another swipe, "What the hell _is_ this thing!"

Necrodusk extended a hand, helping the Commander to his feet, "It seems that _Filios Diaboli_ has been experimenting."

"Do you know what this is!?"

"No idea," Necrodusk replied, surrounding himself in a shadowy mist and summoning several shadow orbs around him, which he fired towards the creature. The impacts stumbled the monster and Alex raced forward with a screech, decapitating the creature and sending him to the ground. He remained still for a few seconds before slowly picking himself up, red mist pouring from his stubbed neck, and he continued forward. As Alex prepared to attack once again, the creature pounced upon and pinned him to the ground slashing and tearing at him. Pain surged through his body with a brutal heat as the creature tore his chest open and Alex watched, eyes wide, as his wounds struggled to heal faster than the creature could attack.

" _ALEX!_ " Kira exclaimed, and as Alex drifted into unconsciousness, he watched as the harpy appeared behind the headless creature, stabbing it repeatedly with her spear. It finally went down, and as the rest of his group gathered around the creature, beating it continuously, Alex, his heart pounding in his head, hearing only his rapid, shallow breathing, slipped into the void of unconsciousness...

" _Daddy...?" a small voice calls into the void, "Daddy...are you okay?"_

 _The Commander opens his eyes, his vision focusing until he sees a small, terrified boy leaning over him. The boy is human in appearance, but also seems_ in _human, he wears dingy clothes, has pale skin, short, unruly, raven-black hair, and bright orange eyes. "Deitus..." Alex begins, righting himself and taking on a defensive stance. Deitus cries out in fright, pulling back and cowering away from him, trembling._

" _Please, Daddy! Don't hurt me! Not again! I'm afraid of the dark!"_

" _What...?" the Commander begins, remembering how Ruby voiced the same fear._

" _I'm sorry! I just wanted to make sure you were okay, I didn't mean to scare you!"_

" _I'm not going to hurt you..." Alex replies, extending a hand towards the boy, who recoiled in fright._

" _He's dreaming..." a voice suddenly says, and the Commander turns to see Necrodusk join him in the dream world._

" _Who is?"_

" _Your son...he's dreaming of his past life."_

" _Why is Deitus so scared of me?"_

 _Necrodusk frowns, "We...I...abused him."_

"What _?"_

" _You must understand, it was a different time. Women were born to reproduce, men were born to fight, I forced him to join the_ Old Regime _, against his will. I forced him to fight, as much as he didn't want to...he was afraid of death."_

" _Even though his father WAS Death?"_

" _That is why he was afraid...I told him what waited on the other side, and this was the time before Heaven and Hell existed. Death meant permanent spiritual destruction...all trace of your being—both mortal and immortal—wiped from existence."_

" _So that's why he betrayed you..."_

" _That is why he betrayed_ us _..." then, "I want you to promise me something...when he is born...take care of him. When you are old and gray, he will be all that you have left."_

" _I thought the_ Old Regime _would be reformed first?"_

" _So did I...but something seems...different...something seems wrong about the timeline, I fear that the_ Reformation _may not happen in this lifetime. Regardless of what happens, you must promise me that you will take care of him, that you will dream him better than I did."_

 _Alex smirks, "I won't be his father...it'll probably be Sapphire. I'm not a dolphin."_

" _Treat him as a son, and you will be his father. If you take care of him, if you raise him, he won't realize the species difference, and you_ will _be his father."_

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Yes...he's not a bad child...and he was an amazing son. It was my own arrogance, my own pride, that ruined everything. Don't make the same mistakes I did..." and Necrodusk fades out of existence, leaving Alex alone with the boy, now cowering and sobbing, acting much like Azazel in the early days of their meeting. There was even a sort of resemblance, even though Deitus was mostly human. After several moments of silence, Alex gently approaches the boy, crouching beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulders, and pulling him close in a hug. At first, Deitus flinches, but then he relaxes, and Alex soothes him._

" _I love you, son," the Commander says._

 _Smiling and sniffling, a pleasantly surprised Deitus looks towards him, "I...I love you, too, Daddy..." and they embrace as the boy fades away into the darkness. Once realizing that the apparition was gone, the Commander is filled with an overwhelming loneliness and emptiness. Yet, he feels even more excited now for the boy's imminent birth, and he looks forward to holding the product of his and Ruby's unfathomable love in his arms. He also feels, deep down inside, that this incarnation will be different, and he knows that Deitus will no longer be the monster that he so recently had to kill._


	14. Chapter XIII: Road to Armageddon

_**Chapter XIII**_ **:**

 **-''Road to Armageddon''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _18 August 2016_ -**

 **- _2014 Hours_ -**

Alex stirred from his sleep, jolting awake. Memory of that peculiar dream kept soaring through his mind, and he groaned, shaking his head. Sense suddenly returning, he violently snapped around, trying to figure out what happened. The last thing he remembered was being pounced upon and knocked to the ground, being torn to shreds by that creature. Now he was back in his longhouse, laying in his bed, clad only in his boxers, "Oh thank goodness! You're awake!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed with a relieved whistle upon entering the room, running up to and crouching beside her mate, "Are you okay?"

"Fine..." he replied, "A little banged up, but nothing _too_ bad...how long was I out?"

"Not long..." she replied, "When Jazz brought you back, he said that you had been attacked by a new monster in _Filios Diaboli_...what happened?"

As he explained what they experienced, his eyes snapped to her pregnant belly, and he gently placed a hand against her warm flesh, smiling at the thought of the tiny, developing creature inside. She frowned, eyes full of worry and sadness, "I was _afraid_ something bad would happen..."

He pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly, "Don't worry, Ruby..." he whispered to her, "I'm not going anywhere."

This didn't ease her worry, however, and she buried her snout into his shoulder, "I'm scared...so many bad things have been happening lately...I don't want something to happen to us..."

"I'm fine, Ruby.." he gently stroked her, "I promise."

She cuddled close to him, wrapping her soft, warm body around his, and he remained in place, petting his delphinic mate, relishing in his proximity to her. She meant the world to him, to see her pained cut him like a knife, and he tried everything he could to reassure her that he was okay. "I dreamed about you," she said.

"Good or bad?"

"Good," she nodded, smiling sheepishly, "I was a human, and you and I were getting married. Then after you kissed me, I gave birth to our baby. It hurt, but you were there and I felt happy. You told me it was all right, that you were proud of me, and we were so happy when we saw our baby for the first time."

He said nothing, only smiled and continued to scratch the base of her dorsal fin.

"You know...I still remember the first time I dreamed about you."

"What happened?"

She smiled warmly towards him, the worry finally melting away from her expression, reforming into pure love and appreciation, "I was swimming around in the ocean, and you called me to the beach. I was really happy to see you, and you sat down in the sand, you pulled me into your arms and you let me lay on your lap...and you were petting me just like you are now. We were best friends, we always played together, but there was something different about you this time...and I was feeling something different, too. I asked you if everything was okay, and you said it was, then asked me if I was feeling okay, since I was very warm and you were scared I was running a fever. I said yes, that I was just feeling strange sitting next to you for some reason...and you asked me how I felt about you, if I thought of you more than a friend. You said that you cared a lot about me, that you had been thinking about me a lot recently, and that you _love_ loved me, and that you were attracted to me. Then you asked me if you could be my mate.

"I was kinda scared at first, and a little surprised, but not a bad kind of surprised, and I said that I had been thinking about you a lot, too, that I loved you, too, and that I _wanted_ to be your mate. You kissed me, then I rolled onto my belly, you touched and played with me until I was ready, then you mounted me, and you started to mate me. I woke up all achey, I was hurting, I felt sick, and I felt all hot and sticky. I touched myself...the first of many times..." she sighed, "I touched myself and put things in there _a lot_ when the _Caeda_ held me...it was the only way I could sleep. Through all of that, you were there," Ruby smiled, "My Alex, and I was your Ruby."

He stroked her head, and she closed her eyes happily, smiling widely, "Wish I could remember dreams like you can."

"There's only a few that I remember clearly," she replied, "Dreams that had the greatest effect on me..." she giggled, "But now, I'm _not_ in a dream, and we mate whenever we want."

"I love you, Ruby."

"I love you, too, Alex," and he slid down until he was laying once again, propping Ruby's head onto his chest. She curled her body tightly against him, nuzzling him affectionately, and as he gently pet her, guiding them both into the sleeping world beyond, her hot belly was warm and comfortable against his bare chest and legs, and he could feel her slit, hot and slick, against his body.

The next morning, Alex, leaning on his cane—depicting a gilded, serpentine dragon slithering around a branch, with the head of the Eastern dragon acting as the handle—for support as the bitter weather worsened his arthritis. "Thanks for coming with me, Daddy," Azazel said, trotting ahead while the Commander struggled to keep up.

"No problem, Zaz," Alex replied, ashamed of himself for being out of breath, "Least I could do for everything you've done for us."

"You know..." the goat boy began, "I never did get a chance to thank you for saving me from that wretched nightmare," and he frowned, pausing his gleeful stride.

Alex rustled the fur on the top of the goat boy's head, the child himself giggling as his floppy ears slapped the sides of his head, "I've always wanted children...and once this child is born, Ruby won't be able to give me anymore, so it was my pleasure."

"Oh no..." Azazel frowned, appearing as if he was on the verge of tears, "Cynder..."

Alex instantly turned to see, at the edge of the plaza, a furious Spyro standing over a cowering Cynder.

"Hey!" the Commander roared, jogging up to her, "Get away from her!"

"Stay out of this, Alex!" the purple dragon hissed, "This has _nothing_ to do with you!"

"Leave her alone!"

"I said this has _nothing_ to do with you!" the dragon roared, but Alex was instantly upon him, striking the dragon's cheek with his cane and stumbling the beast. With a snarl, Spyro tackled the Commander to the ground, and Alex responded by kneeing the dragon in the stomach, throwing him off. Arthritis screaming and with the Commander trying not to break down into tears at the pain. "What the _fuck_ is _wrong_ with you!?" the dragon grunted, gasping for breath.

"What the hell is wrong with _you_?" the Commander snapped back, "Leave her alone!"

"I thought you didn't love her anymore?" the dragon taunted, and within an instant, the Commander was standing over him, pressing the cold steel of his sword against the dragon's throat.

"Yeah?" Alex said in a low, cold tone, "And _I_ thought she was a whore that you were no longer interested in."

"Fuck off!"

"Why do you even care?"

"She's my mate, you bastard!"

Crouching close to his face, the Commander chuckled, "She's _mine_ now..." then, righting himself, "C'mon, Cynder...let's go back home."

As they walked away, the she-dragon in tears, the purple dragon taunted, "You lying, cheating bastard! You're a cunt, you know that? Stealing other people's girls!"

"Kiss my ass!" Alex roared, flipping him off.

"How about I bite off your cock instead, huh?"

"Go ahead you queer motherfucker, I don't need it to pleasure her!"

"He doesn't love you, Cynder! All he wants is to get laid, that's all he cares about!"

Once they were out of the purple dragon's earshot, Alex turned to face the silently crying dragoness, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, "I was just trying to see my daughter..." she sniffled, "He won't even let me see my own child."

Silence for a few moments before, "I wish I could give you one."

She shook her head, "I only wish that _you_ had mated me first."

Once the she-dragon had been safely returned to Alex's longhouse, he and Azazel resumed their previous task. "He scares me..." the boy admitted.

"He scares me, too..." Alex replied, ruffling the boy's furry head again.

"You're so brave protecting Cynder."

Alex shrugged, "Well, when you love somebody, you're willing to do anything for them."

"You love her like you love Ruby?"

The Commander nodded, "Yes I do."

"She loves you, too...she talks about you a lot."

Alex chuckled, "Hope it's good things."

They both paused at the outskirts of the plaza, watching as a human-form Piermont, now sporting an eye patch over his empty eye socket, the broken bone of his skull punching through his forehead like a demonic horn, had returned to his soapbox, preaching to his congregation once again. Standing beside the dragon, assisting the sermon, was a furious, drunken Spyro, acting almost as a bodyguard. The Commander safely assumed that Piermont himself was probably not operating a maximum efficiency, especially considering he stumbled about, and a bottle of mead rested on the ground beside the human-form dragon's literal soapbox. Neither one of them—Piermont nor his surprising bodyguard—seemed to notice the presence of Azazel and Alex, and the Commander intended to keep it that way.

"Stay to the shadows," the young man warned, "Try not to be too obvious...last thing I want is Pierre to confront us again."

"You don't need to tell _me_ twice...he scares me, too. Especially after he hurt mama."

Up ahead, behind the maddened human-form dragon, another Minor Beam had appeared, this one alarmingly close to the compound.

"Fucking Alpha Breaker..." Alex sighed, "I hate how there's nothing we can do to stop this shit from happening."

"We'll find a way," Azazel said with a nod and a warm smile, hugging his adopted father, "Don't worry!"

As they slipped towards the vegetable stand, Terrias spoke from the shadows beside them, "Have to wonder how Pierre manages to keep a congregation...surely _someone_ in that crowd has some sense of intelligence."

"Fear can go a long way in control," the Commander replied, "Especially considering that nobody knows what's going on in the world today. We are in the literal endtimes, these people probably think he's the messiah."

"False prophet is more like it..." then, "Yes, I have done a little bit of Bible reading. It doesn't change my religious views—I still don't know how a 'kind' and 'loving' God can put His people through such hell, but it's interesting to see prophecy unfold, nevertheless."

"So Spyro's fully engrossed in Pierre's shenanigans, huh?"

Terrias chuckled, "Oh, Alex...it's worse than you think."

"...Spyro's gay now?"

The servine grinned widely, "Well, let's just say he and Pierre have a...mutual agreement...to relieve sexual stress. Kinda disturbing actually, and I wouldn't call either one of them gay, or even friends. They act more like a crutch to each other than anything else."

"What the hell happened to him? I mean...I get why Piermont is batshit crazy now...but what happened to Spyro?"

"Envy," the servine replied, "Between losing Cynder to you, the poor bastard himself being all-but-replaced at your side by Ruby and I...it's weakened his mind, allowing Piermont's corruption to brainwash him with relative ease. Spyro has always had a certain...attraction...to you, despite the fact that he'll refuse if confronted about it, the fact you've replaced him has, I'm sure, rubbed him the wrong way."

"Why attack his own mate though?"

"So _that's_ why he was all pissy earlier...anyway, the reason why is quite simple. He thinks that by hurting Cynder, he's hurting you by proxy...since you stole her from him."

"I didn't _steal_ her...she got fed up with Spyro's constant abuse and left him for me."

"I know that," Terrias replied, restructuring his words, "I mean, he _thinks_ that you stole her from him, so he thinks that if he hurts her, it will also hurt you."

"That's stupid."

"Well, he's not really 'all there' thanks to his exposure to Piermont's corruption..." then, "I'm going to warn you, Alex. You need to be _very_ careful here, most of Alpha Company is siding with him, even if they don't show it. _Nobody_ wants Deitus to be reborn, purified or not, and just because you're supporting it, they think Piermont is more sane than you are...they don't understand just how far gone he is. Pretty much every member of Alpha, sans the ones you got living with you now, are on Piermont's side, they're just less...proactive...about it. Don't trust anybody."

"Even you?"

Terrias shrugged, "Whether or not you decide to trust me is up to you. I've done my own fuck-ups to strain our relationship...I only hope that the strength of our prior friendship will mend some of the wounds I've personally inflicted on you."

"So only the ones who have been fully corrupted are the ones who are _actually_ fighting for Pierre?"

"Yeah...ones like Sonic and Nala, who are more vulnerable thanks to some weakening moment...in case of the aforementioned two, the loss of their respective mates. Spyro's gone because of his envy and anger at yours and Cynder's apparent 'betrayal' of him...especially given his love for Cynder and private _lust_ for you."

"Well, let's hope that bringing back Tails, if the Omniversals were telling the truth, will bring Sonic back on our side."

"Doubt it...I'm sure he's too far gone at this point, but what the hell do I know..." then, "So you've decided to help them after all?"

Alex grimaced, "For now...but I'm understandably worried and guarded towards them. Their arrival is still _way_ too coincidental to me."

"I agree...but it's all we really have to go off of. Hopefully, too, if we help them, they'll agree to help _us_ take down Vergil. That's what _I'm_ thinking anyway."

Alex fell silent for a few moments, "Y'know, I wonder if Nick can kill them."

" _Soulreaper_ is designed to destroy souls, demons, angels, and other celestial bodies...I wouldn't be surprised if he could...but would he be _willing_ to help you?"

"I don't see why not."

"You hardly let him see you, you just send him out on various errands...usually resupply and rescue missions to New Alexandria. If I were him, I wouldn't trust you or your words as far as I can dropkick you."

Alex shrugged, "I've got nothing to see him about. I don't really know him."

"Maybe because you haven't given him a chance?"

"Okay, let me rephrase it, I don't _care_ to know him. Even _he_ says he's only gonna be here for a little while...most of Alpha's doing pretty good with him. That's good enough for me, I personally don't care much about him."

"Speak of the devil," Terrias began, nodding ahead, and Alex and Azazel both turned to see the Omniversals at one of the fruit stands. All three of them were carrying several backpacks, and it seemed as if they were getting last minute supplies to leave.

"They're finally leaving?" Alex chuckled, "Thank Christ!"

He was violently elbowed by Terrias, who jogged over to them and called, "Hey! You guys going somewhere?"

Synthia turned to him, responding, "Yeah. We're heading over to Windhelm and taking a ship to Morrowind. We'll be out your way for a while. Vaughn seems about ready to throw a party over it. Save us some cake, will you?"

"What's in Morrowind?" Terrias asked, "Seems quite a trip to take...and if I know anything about the captains at the dock...they charge a pretty penny for the trip."

"Well, it's been two months and we haven't found him. Or even anyone who's seen him. It's pretty clear he's not in Skyrim. So we're searching elsewhere."

"Oh...your brother?"

"No, actually. We're looking for Waldo now," Violet chimed in, sarcastically.

Alex winced, struggling to maintain control over his temper, but one look from Terrias defused him, "I'm sorry to hear that..." the servine replied.

"No, you're not." Synthia said. "You're just as happy to see us gone as Aquaman over there. You're just better at hiding it. Not by much, though. So, if you'll excuse us..."

"Is there anything we can do to help? I know we've been wasting time lately...but in our defense, there's been a lot of shit happening."

"No. There isn't. And just as an FYI, even if there was, we still wouldn't be helping you out with your bullshit. So please, drop the nice guy act. You're embarrassing yourself," Violet responded.

Growing increasingly impatient himself, Terrias frowned, "Listen, we're just trying to help you. We're in this shit together, we might as well start working together, too."

"In...what, exactly?" Faythe asked, "These past two months, it's just been us searching for Alex while you guys went about whatever it is you're doing. Obviously, we don't know anything about whatever that is either. We aren't in anything together. We don't have a common goal or anything like that. You aren't trying to help us. Stop trying to rope us into your bullshit by pretending to care. As if being a shoulder to cry on is somehow a favor that entitles you to something in return."

"We've been helping _you_ by cleaning up your mess," Alex scowled, but before Terrias could intervene, he shoved the servine back, "Our contact says that Vergil—a multiversal—is the responsibility of Omniversals to kill. Your kind was supposed to drive them to extinction years ago, yet Vergil is still alive. We've been cleaning up your mess, the least you could do is throw us a bone."

"Alex..." Terrias began, trying to get between the steadily approaching Commander and the defensive Omniversals, "This isn't helping..."

"Get the fuck outta my way, Terrias."

"Alex...please try to be reasonable here."

Synthia laughed. "Are you serious? You really expected us to buy into that? You're an even worse liar than the servine. First of all, multiversals aren't extinct. Technically, there's three standing in front of you right now. There's four others, as well. 'Omniversal' is just a more fitting name now. Secondly, whoever this 'Vergil' jackass is, he isn't a true multiversal, because the last one of those is sitting back at home, probably watching this and having a good laugh over it. Thirdly, you're the ones that pissed him off. Not us. So that makes him your mess, not ours. So shut the hell up, stop whining, and go clean up your mess." 

"Alex...if you want to prove a point, maybe we should take them to see Sam," Terrias said, "Let them duke it out...try to straighten out facts."

"Good idea," the Commander growled, "You, the three of you are coming with us. Either you come willingly or I will _drag_ your asses with us."

"Hell," Terrias continued, "They might be able to help Sam decipher those tablets quicker...or at least give him something he can use _to_ decipher them quicker..." he turned to face the Omniversals, "If you would be willing to spare us a few minutes of your time."

"Wow. Outstanding commitment here, guys. really. You get points for that, at least." Violet said, "But we aren't going anywhere with you. We're gonna go do what we came here to do, and then we're going home."

"He might be able to help you find your brother..." Terrias added, "Our guy knows a lot of shit. He might be able to get a lead for you."

"Fuck this shit," Alex growled, charging towards them, but before Terrias could intervene, the Commander had summoned a teleportation vortex around him, knocking them into it. "SHIT!" the servine hissed, "God damn it, Alex!" and Terrias charged towards the flickering gate, leaping through it before it could close itself behind him. Upon emergence on the other side of the vortex, Terrias glanced around, finding himself at the university they had sent Sam earlier. Up ahead, Alex was confronting the furious Omniversals, fireballs burning brightly in the palms of his hands. "ALEX! What the fuck do you think you're doing? Are you _TRYING_ to get yourself killed!?"

"Hmm. Is it 'later' already?" Violet asked, drawing an ax and readying a frost spell with her other hand. Synthia held a dagger and a sword in either hand, and Faythe, standing back, readied restoration spells.

Terrias tackled Alex to the ground, the violent Commander thrashing and swearing about. "Get off me!" he hissed.

Around them, dozens of college students gathered around to watch the scene going on, and Terrias glanced uneasily around. Alex twisted around, kneeing the servine in the groin. He quickly responded by restraining the Commander, pinning him down to the ground, "Chill out!" the servine roared, "For fuck's sake!"

 _Are you gonna let him humiliate you?_ Zack whispered into the Commander's ear, and his eyes widened.

 _No...you're not real..._

 _Fight back! Don't be a coward! Don't let Terrias embarrass you like this!_

By now, the Ominversals merely watched in amusement, lowering their defenses, as Alex squirmed beneath Terrias' restraining grasp. The confrontation had attracted a large audience of confused and even frightened students, and Terrias, out of breath, called, "Does anybody here know where Sam O'Malley is? If so, get him over here!"

"Jesus Christ, Terrias!" the Irishman suddenly called out, rushing over to them from the direction of the cafeteria, "What the hell is goin' on around here?"

"Gimme a hand!" Terrias spat.

"Shite! What's wrong with him!?"

"Just...shut up and give me a hand!" Terrias snarled. With the combined efforts of the two of them, they finally managed to restrain the Commander until he cooled down, and Sam took this opportunity to gaze back and forth between the two Terminators and the Omniversals, entertained by the experience.

"Who the fuck are you?" Sam asked.

"Tell them!" Alex growled, out of breath, "Tell them about Vergil! Tell them who he is!"

"I don't...I don't understand."

"TELL THEM!"

"Okay! Okay...Jesus..." then to the Omniversals, "What are you wanting to know?"

" _TELL THEM EVERYTHING, YOU FUCKIN' MORON!_ "

"Well...uh...according to the old tablets I've been translating, Vergil is a...uh...he's a multiversal. Multiversals were thought to be extinct, wiped out by the Omniversals shortly before the Big Bang...theory is that the Big Bang was _caused_ by the Omniversals in an attempt to wipe out all the multiversals. Vergil is supposed to be the last of them...was quite friendly with Archdemon Deitus the Immortal...refined his Lifehunt ability..." then, "So...uh...why did I have to tell them?"

" _TOLD YOU FAGGOTS SO!_ " Alex spat, finding renewed vigor to resist Terrias' restraining grasp. Sam moved to help, but the servine shrugged him off, "I got this."

Synthia started laughing. "You brought us all the way here to..." she trails off, taking a look at her surroundings. "You know what? I'm done questioning this shit. Anyways, you brought us here, for a fucking theory? I don't care what MatPat over there says. He's full of shit. Now take us back."

"A...theory?" Sam asked, confused, then, "Who _are_ you?"

"They're Omniversals," Terrias replied, "They claim that 'multiversal' is just another name for them, that Vergil isn't a real one."

"Imposible...no other being has so much power..." then, "Multiversals are capable of taking the powers of whatever world they go into...if Vergil isn't one of them, then what _is_ he?"

"Maybe Vergil is Synthia's brother," Terrias chuckled.

"Who?"

"Well, I dunno, Mat. Maybe come up with a theory for that, too? Anything you say seems to be fact to those idiots right over there. Speaking of which..." Synthia turned her attention to Vaughn and the others. "Take us back. Now."

Alex finally tore himself free from Terrias' grasp, charging towards the Omniversals, homicidal glare in his eyes.

 _Kill them_... Zack whispered into his ear.

Quickly recovering, the servine was immediately on his feet, running towards the Commander, trying to stop him before he attacked the otherworldly beings. Just as Alex tackled Synthia, preparing to attack, Terrias dove into him, knocking the Commander off of him, and as the two rolled across the ground, Alex punched towards the servine. Terrias guarded the attack, but Alex's bionic arm broke his own limb, and crying out, he fell to the ground, clutching his wounded limb while the blue sparks of healing danced across the wound. Just as Alex charged towards the servine like a bull, howling furiously, the servine sent the entire group back to the Gothics, appearing in the middle of the fields surrounding Whiterun. The sudden change in scenery caught the Commander off guard, and Terrias pounced upon him, pinning him to the ground, broken arm pressed against Alex's throat.

Alex flailed against the servine's restraining grasp, finally breaking free, standing upright, and forcefully shoving Terrias into Synthia, knocking the two of them to the ground. Homicidal glare burning brightly in his eyes, while the servine struggled to get off of Synthia, the Commander launched balls of fire towards the other two Omniversals, "Time to die, you cunts!" Alex cackled, wearing a maddened glare, his eyes now glowing a brilliant orange, and in a flash of light, he had taken on his elemental 'Fire King' form, appearing like an immense, skeletal gladiator, made entirely of flame, his armor charred. He craned his head to the darkening sky, roaring mightily and hellishly, summoning a shower of meteors from the skies above upon the world, casting the field in a ghastly red hue.

"Oh _shit!_ " Terrias managed, finally climbing off of Synthia, "We're in trouble..."

"What the actual fuck is that?" Violet asked.

"A _very_ pissed off mutant..." Terrias grimaced, backing away, "You know, if you guys are as almighty as you claim, now would be a _really_ good time to pull some magical shit out of your ass."

Shoving the servine back, Synthia stepped forward, withdrawing her dagger from its sheathe, taking aim, and tossing it ahead. The weapon embedded itself in his chest, and upon contact, an explosion sent the Fire King stumbling back to the ground. The Omniversal approached him, placing one foot against his armor, pulling the dagger free, and returning to the rest of her group.

As Alex regained his normal form, out of breath, Terrias' jaw dropped, and he said, "I don't...I'm not even gonna ask how the _fuck_ you did that."

Synthia approached Terrias, her medallion glowing brighter than it has before, "So, Terrias. We haven't been entirely honest with you guys regarding our search. As it turns out, we've actually only been searching for...one half of my brother, so to speak."

Unsure of how to feel, especially at how _different_ Synthia suddenly seemed to be acting, the servine responded, "What do you mean?"

Synthia took off her medallion, staring at it for a few moments, "I apologize in advance." and she threw it at Terrias, hitting him in the face. He was sent back several feet, the medallion flashing a bright red light before shattering.

"Terrias!" Alex exclaimed, slowly picking himself up, "What did you do to him!"

"Weren't you two just trying to kill each other two seconds ago? Why the hell do you care?" Violet asked. She turned to Synthia, quietly adding, "Seriously, though. What the hell was that?"

"Just wait." Synthia responded, smirking.

With a groan, the servine picked himself up, shaking his head, "What the hell was _that_ for!?" Terrias exclaimed, preparing to attack, "What the fuck did I..." he stumbled, eyes taking on a strange light, before straightening and saying, " _Ah... finally. Took you long enough to do that, Syn. You usually catch on a lot quicker._ "

"Well, it wasn't exactly obvious, Alex. That's some point-and-click levels of vagueness. Seriously." Synthia replied.

Alex's eyes snapped back and forth between the servine and the Omniversals, "...What?"

The normal light in Terrias' eyes returning, he shook his head, slowly rocking on his heels, "I don't feel well..." his voice then changed, as did the light in his eyes, "Eh... sorry about that, buddy. We'll have you feeling like your normal self soon enough."

"Enough of this already, Alex. You know where your body is, right?" Synthia asked.

"Well... yeah, but I'd like to have some fun first. Always wanted to know what it was like to be a servine."

"As amusing as that might be, I don't think he's okay with that," she replied.

"Terrias...?" Alex began, "What the hell...? I don't..." then, sobering, "Aria is gonna be _pissed_."

"Who's Aria?" the indwelling Omniverse asked, attempting to walk over to Synthia, only to fall over. "Ah... Terrias, do you mind? I'm trying to move here."

"Terrias' mate..." Alex replied, eyes narrowing.

"Uh... Alex. Now might be the time to explain this whole situation a little bit," Synthia said, helping Terrias to his feet.

"Right. Hello there... fire skeleton guy. Name's Alex. I'm Synthia brother, if you haven't already guessed," he says, attempting to hold his hand out for a handshake, but slapping himself instead, "Terrias. Why?" he asked.

"Great explanation there," Violet replied, sarcasm evident in her voice.

"Thanks, Vi." the indwelling Omniversal responded.

Terrias, normal voice returning, chuckled, "Listen, if you intend to stay there any longer...you better get used to my particular quirks. You see, Alex and I...we occasionally like to head out and...yeah. So unless the idea of two guys beating each other gets your gears going, you may want to consider taking up a new place of residence..." he chuckled.

Alex turned to face the Omniversals once again as Terrias stumbled in place, "There better be a fix for this."

"Well, I don't mind, so long as he's the bottom." Omniversal Alex replied.

"Ah... there should be. Provided we find his body." Synthia said.

Terrias took over again, grinning, "Well...actually no, he likes to be the dominant... _maybe_ you can convince him otherwise but...eh...well," he chuckled once more, "I hope you know how a cloaca works."

"Fuck's sake, Terrias..." Alex sighed, "At least you're still...you..."

"Well, in that case, we better go find my body now..." Omniversal Alex said, "Onwards, to...somewhere..." he trailed off, starting to walk and falling over once more, "Ah, come on, Terrias. Work with me here."

"Ah, for fuck's sake," Synthia said, growing impatient, walking over and picking Terrias up.

"Now hold on a moment," Terrias grunted, "I like the idea of having someone else inside to blame shit on," he nodded towards Alex, "Now I see why you like Necrodusk so much."

"Yeah... no." Synthia replied, "Where to, Alex?"

The Omniversal taking over again, he replied, "Well, uh... funny thing about that..."

"...You don't know, do you?" Synthia asked.

"Not even a clue..." Omniversal Alex replied.

"God damn it."

"Welcome to _Casa del Terrias_ ," the servine replied, regaining control over himself, "Make yourself comfortable."

"You're enjoying this _way_ too much," Alex groaned.

"It's kinda cool, I admit."

"Fuck me..."

"Well, if _this_ Alex is fine with it...that may be arranged."

The Commander only glared at his friend.

Going about their separate ways, Alex returned, alone, to his longhouse, finding Azazel already stirring supper over the fire in the hearth. "Welcome back home, daddy," the goatboy replied, "Mama was looking for you."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah..." and he grimaced, scrunching his nose, "I think she wants to do grown-up things though."

Alex chuckled, "Where's she at?"

"She's in your guys' room, she wanted me to send you there when you came back home."

"Thanks."

The Commander let himself into the bedroom, finding Ruby laying in bed, petting the two sleeping raptors by her side. She smiled towards her mate, "I was wondering when you would come home."

"Yeah...just had some things happen...everything okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah," then she blushed, "I need to mate...can you help me?"

He kissed the top of her head, "You don't have to ask me, love."

She sighed in relief, a whistle in her tone, "Good..." and she winked, her bright, innocent blue eyes sparkling with a seductive glimmer, "We're all alone, too."

"Zaz is awake and in the other room..."

"Well," she shrugged, smiling coyly towards him, "He'll give us some privacy."

After their session, Alex slipped out into the living room, finding Zaz pouring himself a bowl of soup, "It's ready, if you guys are interested, everybody else already ate..." then, "Is mama feeling better now?"

Alex chuckled, "Yeah, she's fine."

"Thank you for not making me watch...and warning me in advance."

"Deitus didn't do that?"

Azazel frowned, shaking his head so violently that his floppy ears smacked his cheeks, "No...my _real_ dad would demand the nearest slave when he needed to relieve himself...and there were several times where I had to clean his room while he was doing it."

"That's disgusting."

Azazel shrugged, "I'm used to it..."

As the goat boy walked away, Alex and Ruby exchanged saddened glances, with Ruby saying, "I'm glad we saved him...I feel so bad for him."

"Me, too, Ruby..." Alex replied with a sigh, rubbing his mate's back, "Me, too."

Blake, from her perch by the window, suddenly squawked, and the Commander approached her, extending his finger for her to hop upon, placing her on his shoulder, before he readied himself to leave, "Ruby, you wanna come with?"

"What about Piermont?"

"It's late...we probably won't be seeing him. If you're that concerned, you can try taking on a human form."

"I'm afraid that will hurt the baby, though. I'll just stay here..."

"You sure?" Alex replied, unhappy.

She nodded, "I'm sorry, Alex."

The Commander only shrugged, and as he opened the door to leave, Athena trotted over to him, "I'll go with you. Brother will, too..." she turned to face Tiberius, "Right, Brother?"

Snarling, the male _deinonychus_ snorted, "I will never go anywhere with Thanatos, I don't want _you_ to, either, Sister."

"He's our father."

"He's a killer and a fiend!"

"Let's go, Athena..." Alex interrupted, slipping into the cold night outside and holding the door open for the female raptor. Tiberius only watched them angrily as they left, with Ruby approaching him in an attempt to soothe him.

After they had purchased Blake's supper and were heading to the last open stall—the meat stand—for Athena, they passed by Terrias, who Alex called over, "How you feeling, mate?"

"Well, I'm in control again...for now, anyway."

"Tired of being possessed yet?" the Commander chuckled, instructing Athena to pick something that caught her fancy.

"Getting there...it's more exhausting than it is anything else though...surprised you didn't bitch and moan about being possessed by Necrodusk."

"Well...I was born with him already inside. I was used to it."

"How you feeling now that he's gone?"

Alex shrugged, "Empty...I still have a pretty strong telepathic connection with him, but it's weird missing his presence...even if he _didn't_ really take up that much space," then, "How's Aria taking your new friend?"

"She doesn't know...and I intend to keep it that way. Thankfully, he seems to be majorly turned off and pretty scared of reptile anatomy," Terrias chuckled, "One look at a cloaca and he disappears. How's Ruby?"

"She's doing fine, actually just got back from tending to her, then Blake decided she was hungry."

While the servine gently pet the hatchling perched on Alex's shoulder, he said, "I'm glad that you're still taking care of Ruby. Wasn't sure since I've been seeing you hanging out with Cynder a lot as of late."

"I alternate between them."

"And Dash?"

The Commander shrugged, "She hasn't been all that interested lately...strangely, she's almost been kinda distant."

"Maybe she's jealous of how close you are to Ruby and Cyn?"

"Doubt it...that's not like her. What's new with Piermont?"

"Nothing much," Terrias sighed, "He's been quiet, aside from that little show he put on earlier today. Spyro's the biggest headache right now, he's constantly bitching and whining about how you apparently 'stole' Cynder from him."

"If he wouldn't treat her like absolute dogshit perhaps she'd still be willing to spread her legs for him. All he wants is to get laid, he doesn't care about her well-being."

"I know, and the irony is that he's using the _same_ accusation against you."

"Well, I suppose I'm doing _something_ right...can't keep Cynder away from me," the Commander chuckled, "Woke up a couple of nights ago to her giving me a fuckin' blowjob for Christ's sakes."

Now standing upon the perimeter ramparts, the two friends looked out over the dark wilderness. A fiery orange and red _aurora borealis_ glowed in the skies above, painting the world in a deep, golden hue, and snow drifted slowly from the heavens. "It's so beautiful..." Athena remarked.

"Kinda romantic," Terrias grinned.

"Yeah..." Alex replied, voice distant, "You think we'll be able to win against Vergil and take New Alexandria back?"

"I think we can do anything we set our hearts to. We've been through shit like this in the past...new baddie comes along, makes our lives difficult, we come back around, kick his ass, and win the war in the end. If it bleeds, we can kill it."

Silence fell before them for several moments before, "I had a dream about Deitus last night. What's strange is that..." Alex shook his head, "I don't think it was _mine_...I think it's _his_."

"What do you mean?" Terrias asked, confused.

"He's scared."

"What? Why?"

"Because Messorem was a prick, and apparently treated Deitus harshly, contributing to his betrayal...he's afraid I'll do the same thing to him."

"Impossible, he's not developed enough to think complexly."

"You don't know that," Alex replied, " _Nobody_ knows that...even _I_ don't. All I know is that I dreamed of a scared little boy, one that looked like that bastard Ruby and I took on, he was afraid of me. Necrodusk was there, too...Deitus was dreaming, and he's scared."

"You sure it's not just your mind fuckin' around with you? Muties have some weird shit going on like that."

"You mean to tell me that while Raphael was developing, you didn't at least _once_ dream from his perspective?"

Silence for several moments at mention of the servine's recently-hatched child—a male snivy he had named Raphael. He shrugged subtly, "I had a few dreams...but I was also under a lot of stress at the time. Stress does shit to you, it spawns weird-ass dreams and nightmares."

"What if it _wasn't your_ dream?"

"I had a dream last night about a baby girl, that Aria and I had a daughter," he began, pursing his lips, "Does that mean that Aria's pregnant again? I highly doubt it, she's not in heat."

"You don't _need_ to be in heat to have a child, Terrias."

"As if you know?"

"In fact, yes I do."

"Well...maybe not for you humans...most of the world's species operate a little differently."

"We don't need to be in heat to have offspring..." Athena began shyly, speaking up, "It's not just humans."

"How would _you_ know?" Terrias asked.

"Instinct," the raptor replied.

"Instinct?" he scoffed arrogantly, "You were _programmed_ , Athena...by the Reapers..." his voice faltered and he nodded towards Alex, "By _us_..."

"I am fertile," she replied, "So is Brother."

"How do you know?"

"Because I _am_ in heat."

This startled both Alex and Terrias.

"Brother is fertile, too...I've awaken to find that little thing on his body hard, wet, and sticky, sometimes smelly, too."

"How?"

"Considering Aphrodite developed them differently," Alex began, "It's possible that she created them with the intent of leaving them fertile in an attempt to resurrect their species."

"Because incest has worked so well in the past to bear healthy children and bring a dying or dead species back to life."

"Reapers said that we had perfect genes," Athena began.

"When?" Terrias asked.

"Brother and I were captured...they experimented on us and said that our genes were perfect, that we could breed and it wouldn't have any negative repercussions," she scrunched her nose, "I don't _want_ to breed with Brother, but that's what they said."

The servine frowned, "I suppose it _is_ possible..." he shook his head, "I still wouldn't try. If anything because two siblings going at it is fucking disgusting," and he turned towards Alex again, "Anyway, as I was saying...just because I dreamed about having a daughter _doesn't_ mean that Aria is pregnant again. They're not intelligent or developed enough to think, fetuses are hardly living things, they're clusters of cells."

"Then when _does_ a fetus reach a point to where it's a 'living thing'?" Alex growled.

Terrias shrugged, "It's a gray area that nobody really knows."

"When do _you_ consider a fetus to be a living thing?"

Once more, the servine shrugged, this time more subtly, "You don't need to be so hostile, Alex. I'm not doing or saying anything wrong, I'm simply stating my opinion, and I sure as hell am not _telling_ you to do one thing or another."

"Tell me something," Alex began, "If you were told that Raphael was a threat to the world, that he was dangerous to be brought back...would you have him sacrificed? If he was still an egg, would you have it smashed? If he was still developing in Aria's womb...would you have him aborted?"

Silence for several seconds before, in a somber tone, "Yes, I would...but it would be very hard to do so."

"So if I handed you a gun, told you to go and shoot your _own son_ in the head for the benefit of the world, you would do so without question?"

Clearly uncomfortable, Terrias began to fidget in place for a few moments before, "Yes, I would."

Astonished, Alex only shook his head in disappointment, looking back out towards the wilderness.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

"Fucking communist logic."

"I'm not a fuckin' communist!" Terrias hissed, "Don't you _dare_ start getting political with me, Alex!"

"Stop fighting!" Athena shouted, "Please don't fight! You two are best friends!"

Terrias turned to face the frightened raptor, "We're not fighting, only having a conversation, a little...debate."

The two friends turning to face each other again, Alex said, eyes narrowed and baring his teeth, "I'm not hurting my child."

"I'm not _telling_ you to," Terrias replied, "Jesus Christ...every time you ask for my opinion and I give it to you, you turn around and snap at me as if I'm some kind of monster. I'm not _telling_ you to pick one thing or another, and I don't appreciate you baiting me constantly when you _know_ my stance in the matter, just to look for something to latch onto my neck about. You know how I feel about all of this. I don't really want Deitus to be born, were I in your position, I'd _try_ to convince Ruby to abort him...but ultimately it'd be her decision. _HOWEVER_ , I'm not _telling_ you to choose that route, I'm merely telling you which path _I_ would choose. If you want to carry him to term and you decide to _do_ that, good on you, but that's not what my choice would be..." then, "Neither what you or I have to say is important. What _is_ important is this: what does _Ruby_ want? It's her body, her decision."

"She's absolutely thrilled to be carrying my child...she's wanted me to impregnate her for as long as we've been together."

"Then that's all that matters, that _Ruby_ is satisfied by what's going on..." then, with a sigh, "Anyway, it's getting late, I'm heading to bed...goodnight, Alex."

"Night, Terrias," Alex said, watching his friend step down from the ramparts and head back to his and Aria's house at the edge of the market district. Idly scratching Athena's head, the Commander soon stepped down from them as well, making his way back up to his longhouse, Athena trotting along behind him, Blake curled up against his neck, sleeping.


	15. Chapter XIV: Judas' Kiss

_**Chapter XIV**_ **:**

 **-''Judas' Kiss''-**

 **-Vernhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _28 August 2016_ -**

 **- _0834 Hours_ -**

Alex slept soundly, cuddling with Ruby, dreaming of taking his family to New Alexandria's public park. While he and Ruby, sitting on a bench, chatted nonchalantly about random subjects, Azazel was swinging with Deitus on the playground swing sets, and Tiberius and Athena playfully chased each other around the field. The rest of Alpha Company was playing catch nearby, and the world was bright, sunny, warm, and cloudless. Upon looking into the eyes of his delphinic mate, he felt a deep, unfathomable love for her, enjoying the close contact they shared, overjoyed that she was his. He could tell in the way she looked at him that she loved him deeply as well, nothing could get between them, and he hugged her tightly, unable to control himself...

...Something stirred him.

At first, it was a similar feeling to that of a fly buzzing around his head. He didn't know what was causing it, all he knew was that _something_ was gnawing at his attention, threatening to shatter this pleasant dream. He tried to ignore it, to concentrate solely on his beloved mate, but he was horrified to find that, despite his attempts, the scene around him began to fade and lose color, losing solidity.

 _No!_ he cried, _Please don't!_

But as he tried to leap towards her, a last attempt to grasp control over the dream, everything else melted around him, and his eyes snapped open. Swearing harshly beneath his breath as the dream and memory of it quickly began to slip through his memory, he felt a deep, sinking feeling settle over him...as if a dark cloud had overtaken the room's aura. An electric feeling was in the air, a feeling not unlike he had felt in Newcastle the previous year or in Whiterun earlier that year.

" _Filios Diaboli_..." he began, "Shit!" and he quickly turned to his sleeping mate, "Ruby!" he whispered harshly, "Ruby! Wake up!"

The dolphin started, sitting straight and blinking around in confusion, "What's going on?"

"It's _Filios Diaboli_!" he hissed.

" _What?_ How do you know?"

"I can feel it..." he replied, "Get up, we need to get you somewhere safe."

"I'm not going to hide," the dolphin snapped back, "I'm tired of hiding, if they want to hurt me or my baby, they better expect a fight."

"Ruby, don't be foolish."

"No," she scowled, "I'm not being foolish...I'm just tired of hiding. I'm strong, I can fight!"

Upon racing into the living room, finding themselves the only ones awake, a quake-like rumble nearly knocked them down, and the front of the house exploded before them, sending them _both_ flying to the side. Alex picked himself up, ears ringing, running over to help Ruby up. "Jesus! Are you okay?"

She nodded reluctantly, "Fine..." and she clutched her stomach, "Just a little shaken..."

"It's too dangerous for you Ruby...I know you want to fight, and under _normal_ circumstances, I would let you...but I'm not just thinking of _your_ safety, I'm thinking of our son's..."

Ruby pouted, sighing with a reluctant nod, "You're right..."

"Head downstairs to the safe room...I'll come back for you."

"Take care of yourself..."

"You, too, Ruby..." and he hugged her tightly, kissing her mouth, "I love you."

She nodded, "I love you, too."

Rushing outside, Alex spied Terrias running towards him, several buildings were already in flames, guards were rushing down to the gates, civilians were fleeing in terror, and the Commander called, "What the hell is going on?"

"It's that fucker Sonichu."

"What? You mean it _isn't Filios Diaboli_?"

"No, Sonichu brought himself a small army, we don't have the equipment to hold them off."

"How did he find us?"

"Hell if I know. Did you get Ruby to safety?"

"She's fine."

"Good, hope you have some ammo left."

"Some, not nearly enough to fend off an entire army...what exactly is he using?"

"Well, he's using guns...doesn't look like he has any tanks or vehicles though, so we might stand a ghost of a chance at least."

"Why can't shit actually be _easy_ for once?"

"Cause Life loves to say 'fuck you'."

Just as he said this, the house immediately to their left erupted in a ball of flame and shrapnel, and Alex swore, shielding his face against the onslaught, "Gettin' _real_ tired of bad shit always happening!"

"Welcome to the army," Terrias replied in a low voice, pulling Alex out of the way of a collapsing guard tower.

Finally, the duo reached the ramparts, scampering up top to peer over the vertical log walls at the approaching army. Sonichu's forces were divided into three groups, approaching from several different angles in tightly organized columns. Although they didn't seem to have any armor or artillery with them, even from this distance, the Commander could see they were using a combination of modern arms and medieval weaponry. Infantry outfitted with automatic weapons were dispersed between phalanx walls, and archers stayed at the flanks of each column, firing barrages of fire-tipped arrows towards the walls, setting them aflame. Near the back of the columns, crudely fashioned trebuchets and catapults trailed along, defended by long-range riflemen. "Guess he couldn't make up his mind with which era he wanted to come from..." Alex chuckled gravely.

"Isn't this great..." Jazz grunted, and Alex turned to see the rest of his household racing up to the walls, the rabbit loading a clip into his scoped sniper and taking shots at the advancing front while Cynder and Kira surged ahead, dodging fire and engaging the opposition head-on. "Never seen anything like this before..." the rabbit remarked, scanning briefly across the army through his scope, picking off the more dangerous threats, "Steel armor, spears, swords, and catapults...yet also snipers and infantry...what the hell?"

"Probably using whatever they could get access to," Alex replied, "Not unlike how we started off...using whatever weapons we jacked from the LKA or found in that old Nazi stockpile on Ozark Island."

Eli strafed towards them, firing bolts from his crossbow towards the closest group, still maintaining their strict order and organization, despite the heavy fire from the defending forces, "There's a lot of 'em," the man replied, "But they ain't doin' much."

"We should be conserving our ammo," Alex replied, picking off anybody he knew he could hit with a short burst from his scoped AK47, "Who knows how long this will go on, or what more surprises we might discover."

"Who the fuck are these pricks?"

"Same cunts that torched Riverwood," Terrias replied.

"Did you miss me?" a voice spoke from behind Alex, and before he had a chance to turn around, Sonichu grabbed him by the arm, flipping him to the ground and launching him off the wall, onto the dirt ground below, still inside the walls. The rest of the Commander's allies moved to engage, but Sonichu evaded them with surprising agility, zipping down towards the ground and charging towards the recovering Commander with alarming speed. Just as he managed to stand upright, Alex was knocked back as Sonichu reached him, commencing a back flip and kicking Alex in the jaw. Blue sparks of healing dancing across his face, the Commander picked himself up, baring his teeth in a snarl and withdrawing his swords. The hedgehog zipped around him, landing blows whenever he could, and Alex parried any attacks he could with his sword, countering with slashes or stabs whenever an opportunity presented itself. He slashed sideways with the intent to behead the hedgehog, but Sonichu ducked beneath the swipe, flipping back and kneeing the Commander in the jaw once again. As the stunned Alex backstepped, struggling to remain on his feet, Sonichu zipped around him as a golden blur, appearing behind and beneath the falling Alex, catching him, jumping into the air, slamming him into the ground on his back, and pile-driving into his stomach. The Commander, out of breath, rolled out of the way as Sonichu, now wielding a lightning-infused spear, stab towards his head, sticking the weapon in the ground instead. He pulled it free, blocking a downward slash from the Commander and riposting with a swift smack in the abdomen with the iron shaft.

"Heh...not so tough now, are ya?" Sonichu remarked with a grin, twirling his spear in hand as the doubled-over Alex knelt to recover. Just as the Commander straightened, the hedgehog grabbed his shoulder and jammed the sharp head of the spear into Alex's stomach, kicking him onto his back upon the ground and tearing the weapon free. From behind the hedgehog, Terrias leaped off the wall, striking the back of the hedgehog's head with the butt of his empty shotgun. Stumbling forward, Sonichu bore his teeth in anger, twirling his spear and lunging towards the servine, who strafed to the side with incredible speed, crouching to his knees and swiping his tail beneath the hedgehog's legs, knocking him to the ground in one fluid motion. The servine then leaped into the air, and in one smooth motion, both withdrew his ruby-bladed sword from its sheathe and attempted to impale the creature, pinning him to the ground. Before he could, however, the nearby perimeter walls exploded towards him and a wall of shields charged towards him, knocking him to the ground and attempting to stab him with their spears. Terrias slithered out of the way of the phalanx, kicking back their shields and swiftly cutting them down when their guards broke.

"Alex!" he roared, spying the Commander crawling across the ground towards his dropped swords, "Look out!"

Alex rolled onto his back, raising and crossing his hands in front of his face to block a lunge from Sonichu's spear. The weapon slashed open his wrists, and as his blood dripped down his arms and onto his bear-fur coat, the hedgehog attempted another stab. The Commander caught the spearhead in his hands, holding the weapon firm mere inches between his eyes. With a growl, he threw it back, breaking Sonichu's stance, and quickly leaping onto his feet, he raced forward, uppercutting the hedgehog to daze him, before pulling back and punching the creature's cheek as hard as he could, knocking him to the ground. Sonichu attempted to stand back up again, but Alex kicked him in the back, knocking him back onto his stomach. He grabbed the hedgehog by the back of the neck, forcefully slamming his head into the cobblestone walkway several times before lifting and throwing him onto his stomach. Again, the hedgehog attempted to stand, but Alex leaped onto him, straddling his chest and delivering a constant series of punches to his faces, roaring in fury, blinded by rage. After the seventh or eighth strike, Sonichu managed to get his hands up to block, but the Commander continued his relentless barrage, until he finally cupped his fists and brought them high in the air above his head, about to smash them into the creature's bloodied and battered face.

A gauntleted hand caught his fists, and just as he turned, one of the phalanx bashed his head with the man's shield, knocking Alex back and tearing the wind from his breast. Chest burning, vision blurred in red, and entire face tickling with the blue sparks of healing, the knight smashed his face with the shield again, and as Alex doubled over, he smacked the heavy slab of steel into the back of the Commander's head, drawing blood, sending a wave of heat surging throughout his body, stars soaring through his vision, and knocking him, face first, into the ground. His vision faded, ears ringing through tinnitus, his muscles refusing to cooperate, he was vaguely aware of a furry hand grabbing his shoulder and forcefully turning him until he was laying on his back, staring up at the dreary, overcast skies, darkened almost to night from the fires burning around him. Sonichu stood over him, baring his fangs in a furious snarl, and just as he was about to smash the head of his spear into the Commander's face, he stiffened as a bloody, ruby-red blade sword point punched through his stomach. He looked down at the penetrating object with a glance of dumb wonder and shock, barely managing to meet Alex's eyes again before he was thrown to the side and Terrias stood in his place, tearing his sword free from the hedgehog's body and extending a bloody hand towards the Commander. "You okay?" Alex could distantly hear him say, and as the Commander was brought back onto his feet, he, in a daze, glanced around him, hearing and vision still dull and faded, aware only of a throbbing heat and pain throughout his body. Ahead of them, the walls were burning like torches, the defenders had fallen back, and through the various breaches in the wall, Alex could see an unnatural thunderstorm—seemingly on ground level—rapidly approaching them. Through the black, misty, stormy fog, he could just barely make out a tall, lanky silhouette hovering in the sky.

"V...Vergil..." the Commander managed, eyes wide.

"What?" Terrias asked in shock, turning to face where Alex was looking, "Oh fucking hell!"

Telepathically, a piercing scream for help—the voice belonging to Ruby—tore through their minds, sending them both to the ground. Exchanging frightened glances, the two friends immediately turned around, racing back towards the Commander's longhouse, now entirely engulfed in flames at the top of the hill. As they raced past, a human-form Piermont emerged from his house, completely oblivious to the battle going on around him, turning his eyes towards the two friends, baring his teeth in homicidal disgust.

"Keep up!" Terrias roared, turning back to see Alex stumbling along, still recovering from the attack, "The more time you waste the more danger Ruby is in!"

"I...I'm trying..." Alex slurred, finding that his mind operated at minimum capacity.

As they neared the hill, they were horrified to see _Filios Diaboli_ shadow-knights engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat against Sonichu's forces, the shadow-demons turning the tides of the battle in their favor alarmingly quick. That stormy black fog had almost completely settled over the burning compound now, and as powerful rain and gusting wind blew around them, lightning striking down all around, Alex could see Vergil hovering in the skies above, commanding his army of advancing demons. Imps pestered both sides of the conflict, slaughtering every living thing in their path, and both Sonichu's and friendly forces briefly ceased their own little spats to turn their attentions towards the demons.

 _My, my...I sure have missed you,_ Vergil taunted telepathically, but Alex forced the multiversal out of his mind, concentrating solely on Ruby, who he could tell was struggling against whatever was trying to hurt her.

"Hold on Ruby!" Alex roared, "I'm coming, girl!" his fury over his lover's harm fueled a massive adrenaline burst, and he flew past Terrias, nimbly leaping over debris and plowing through opposition—mostly Sonichu's knights clashing with _Filios Diaboli_ shadow-knights or thralls—towards his house.

"Wait!" Terrias spat, out of breath, "Hold on, Alex! Wait for me, goddammit!"

From a nearby alley, Synthia and the rest of her clan emerged, casually strolling by, effortlessly cutting down any opposition that stood in their way on their advance to the compound's gates—or what remained of them anyway. Just as they began to walk down the street, the Commander barreled past them, Terrias struggling to keep up. Although both Terminators nearly plowed through them, neither of them seemed to recognize the Omniversals, instead racing towards the Commander's house up on the peak of the hill, engulfed in fire. The Omniversal's eyes followed the Terminators as they rushed by, and Synthia shook her head with a sigh.

"God damn it. I'm sick of getting caught up in shit. First Equestria, then the Mushroom Kingdom, and now some asshat's shitty Skyrim mod. What the hell else could happen?" Synthia asked, annoyance evident in her voice.

"...Did you seriously just ask that?" Violet responded.

"Oh, quit acting like I'm tempting fate or whatever, as if something else wasn't already gonna happen. We're already stuck here. As far as I'm concerned, things are already as bad as they can be. Anything else is just the icing on the shit cake."

"Heh. If you say so, Syn…" Violet said, amused, "How do you think Alex is holding up?"

"Well, he's stuck being Commander Fuckwit's little pokébitchboy, so I imagine he's discovered several new circles of hell at this point," Faythe said.

"Most likely." Violet agreed.

As they continued towards the gate, trying to avoid combat and cutting down anyone that _did_ try to confront them, they heard a low chuckle rumble through the air, and all eyes turned to face the sky, where a tall, thin man, wearing a long, black cloak, with long, straightened, white hair hanging down to his lower back, and pale, flawless skin chuckled, "Synthia? Is that you? Oh, it's been _so_ long since I last saw you...how is Raziel these days?"

Synthia remained silent for a few moments before responding, "I think you have me confused with someone else. I've no idea who you're talking about. More importantly, who the hell are you?"

"Oh, Synthia, my dear...no need to sound so defensive. It's me, your old pal Vergil. _Surely_ , Raziel has told you about me, we used to be the bestest of buds after all," the multiversal grinned.

"Vergil? Huh. So you're the asshole everyone's been talking about. Well, the people you're after are right back over there someplace," Violet chimed in, pointing towards where Alex and Terrias had run, "If you're fast enough, maybe you can still catch them."

"Now, now...there's no need to be hostile. I just want to have a friendly chat...we multiversals need to stick together."

"Look, buddy. We don't have any idea who you are, or what you're talking about. Go and tell someone else about your crazy bullshit. We don't have anything invested in this fuckery. Just let us go," Faythe replied.

As they began to walk away, Vergil raised an arm, and with the multiversal wearing a malicious grin, several shadowy arms rose from the ground, latching onto the Omniversals' legs and pulling them down, trapping them in place, "Why the rush, hmm? I only desire to become...better acquainted. Great power radiates from you, power that these fleshy piles of blood and bone want to usurp and take for themselves. It was their lust for power the resulted in the murder of my dearest friend, Deitus...a wrongful murder committed by that perverted human and his _bastard_ dolphin girlfriend. You know, they will find and kill you, too. We don't belong here in their eyes, we are only animals that deserve to be driven to extinction."

"We don't have any power, jackass. We still don't know what you're even talking about. If they murdered your friend, then take it up with them. We have nothing to do with this," Synthia responded.

Vergil lowered to the ground, strolling casually over to them as he raised his arm in a gesture similar to the Nazi salute. Just then, several of _Filios Diaboli_ 's shadow-knights crawled out of the ground, carrying ancient, rusty weapons, and approached the Omniversals. The multiversal produced a scythe from the ground, gently caressing the length of its blade. Blood rained freely down from the weapon as he trailed it with his long, corpse-like fingers, "Heh...allow me to skip to the point. I'm not _asking_ you to help me, I am _making_ you. A pity that multiversals have grown so weak since the Base World split from the Omniverse...pathetic really. Raziel should be ashamed!"

Violet leaned over and whispered in Synthia's ear. "Is this still the icing, or do you still think it couldn't be worse?"

"Shut up."

"Very well then," Vergil sighed in an exaggerated manner, "Shame that I have to kill my own brothers when there are still so few left alive..."

As he brought his scythe up to decapitate Synthia, a pillar of fire tore through his abdomen. Growling in pain and doubling over, watching as the perfectly circular hole slowly shrank, tendrils of shadow squirming and writhing to heal the wound. Jazz approached them, wielding a SPAS-12, and he fired several more shots of Dragon's Breath, each one blasting away a large piece of Vergil's body.

Eyes snapping to the Omniversals, Vergil chuckled, "So this is how it'll be, eh? You have made a _very_ powerful enemy, indeed!"

With an eagle-like screech from above, Cynder dove down, spewing fire towards the multiversal, who abruptly disintegrated into mist, the cloud zipping away to reform into a solid being farther down the road.

"Now that's not very nice!"

Kira and Eli joined the fray, but Vergil only misted to safety from their charges, swiping his arm to the side. Both the harpy and the human suddenly froze in place, body stiff, and as he lowered his arm to his side, the two Terminators abruptly fell to the ground. Cynder moved to make another pass, but he brought her down as well, paralyzing her.

"You girls all right?" Jazz asked, blowing away the shadow tendrils trapping the Omniversals to the ground and extending a paw to help them up. Before he could help, however, his arm suddenly pulled back with a disgusting crack, and the rabbit howled in agony as he was thrown to the side, as if a marionette controlled by invisible strings.

"You pathetic little worms are _really_ starting to piss me off," Vergil growled, approaching the down Cynder and Jazz, ignoring the now-free Omniversals.

Seizing the opportunity for escape, Synthia quickly shot up, helping Faythe and Violet to their feet, "Now's our chance. Let's go!"

"And where do you think _you're_ going!?" Vergil hissed, misting through them, solidifying directly in front of the fleeing Omniversals and grabbing Synthia by the throat, lifting her into the air, "Send Raziel my regards!" the multiversal chuckled, throwing her into a burning building nearby.

Now back in action, Cynder rapidly flapped towards them, opening her obsidian maw to spit bright flame upon the defending multiversal, shrieking as her fire burned away his arm. He misted behind the she-dragon, his arm growing back almost instantaneously, and as he prepared, once again, to puppet the disoriented Cynder, he was pounced upon from behind by Spyro, roaring animalistically and leaping to stand between the she-dragon and the multiversal.

"What the hell are you doing, Spyro?" Cynder spat.

"I'm saving _your_ sorry ass, you ungrateful little shit!" the purple dragon hissed, lowering his head like a bull, snorting, and charging towards the multiversal, who merely flicked him aside without any effort.

"Vergil," a dark voice spoke from behind him, and as the multiversal turned, he was broadsided by a punch from Vigil, throwing the beast aside. Viola soon arrived, misting out of the air to stand beside her brother.

"Heh..." the multiversal chuckled, "I see when I am outmatched...fair enough, but we will meet again, I guarantee it..." and with his low, raspy chuckling devolving into a mad cackle, he disintegrated into mist, rising into the air and vanishing within the unnatural thunderheads above.

The Omniversals were left alone as Vigil and Viola disintegrated once more, in pursuit of Vergil, and the attacking Terminators went about their separate ways, rejoining the battle.

Synthia stumbled out of the building, "Ouch... now that really hurt," she said.

Faythe rushed over to her, casting a healing spell and asking, "Are you okay?"

"I will be."

"So... they actually were telling the truth then, huh?" Violet asked.

"Seems that way..." Synthia trailed off.

"You know what this means, right?" Faythe asked.

"Yeah. I do. But we can't do anything right now. We still need to get Alex his body back. We still don't have our powers back yet, either," Synthia responded.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Violet asks.

"I'll have to get back to you on that one." Synthia replied.

Alex and Terrias tore through the doors into the burning house, the Commander sprinting towards the hatch leading downstairs. Out of breath, Terrias looked around the living room in shock, everything was burning brightly, pieces of the roof and beams above came crashing down to the ground, it would only be a matter of time before everything collapsed on itself, and they probably didn't want to be in here when it did. He rotated in place, peering back outside, where _Filios Diaboli_ shadow-knights were beginning to approach the house, having slaughtered the majority of Sonichu's forces. "Shit..." he breathed, withdrawing his ruby-bladed sword in one hand, summoning a small ball of flame in his other, and preparing for a fight.

"RUBY!" Alex roared, sliding down the ladder and charging into the next room. The dolphin was currently being held back by several of Sonichu's troops, with another six taking turns beating her, even as she tried to fight back. Alex's vision flashed red in fury, and he, with a maddened howl, launched forward, tackling one of the soldiers to the ground, reaching for a nearby hammer and smashing the man's face in repeatedly until all that remained was a pile of bloody brains and blood. Leaving Ruby alone for the moment, they turned their attentions toward him, but the Commander fought back with an animalistic screech. He pounced upon the nearest foe, stabbing his head forward and tearing out the man's throat with his teeth, spitting the remains at the next approaching soldier. He ducked beneath the man's punches, grabbing his head and forcing it into a wooden foundation support, subsequently puncturing the man's eye with a nail jutting out from the column. He screamed in agony, clutching his bleeding face and missing eye, and Alex responded by kicking him hard in the crotch grabbing both sides of the soldier's open mouth and prying them as far apart as possible, tearing off his foe's jaw. One soldier managed to bury a knife in his shoulder, but Alex, unfeeling, turned and knocked him to the ground, beating him relentlessly and clawing at his face and neck. Then, picking up a collapsed beam, he swung it around, smacking two soldiers behind him to the ground, bashing their heads in repeatedly.

Cursing him and calling him out as a demon, the remaining soldiers turned tail and began to run back towards the ladder heading back up, Alex right on them. One of them stumbled, becoming easy prey for the Commander, who straddled him, stabbed his thumbs into the man's eyes, and crushed his skull beneath his iron grip until the man's entire head popped like a balloon, splattering both Alex and the world around them in gore. The last remaining soldier reached the ladder, quickly trying to scale it. Alex grabbed him by the seat of his pants, yanking him back down onto the floor, and as the man begged and pleaded for mercy, wetting himself in the process and cowering behind his razed hands, Alex withdrew his sword, hacking the man to literal pieces, each stab of his sword accompanied by a furious scream. Silence fell over the room and the Commander, covered in blood and gore, stood in place, shoulders heaving. Ruby's sobbing in the adjacent room snapped him out of his crazed trance, and Alex jogged to where the dolphin lay, curled into a small ball. He helped her to a sitting position, examining her and asking, "Are you okay? How bad did they hurt you?"

Suddenly, Terrias opened the hatch and called from upstairs, "Alex! I'm being overwhelmed over here! Could really use your help!"

"C'mon!" the Commander began, helping Ruby to stand and guiding her towards the ladder. They quickly scaled it onto the floor above, where Terrias was struggling to hold back a group of _Filios Diaboli_ thralls. Tiberius and Athena fought tooth and nail on the opposite side of the room against a group of encircling thralls, while dodging low swoops from three imps pestering them. Upon seeing him, Blake began to screech and flap her still-undeveloped wings from her perch, attracting the attention of one of the thralls. Before the enthralled guard could harm the bird, Alex had forced knocked him to the ground, violently strangling the life out of the man. He extended a finger towards Blake, placing her at her spot on his shoulder before running towards the thralls, almost overpowering the servine.

"Don't worry about me!" the Pokemon spat through clenched teeth, suplexing one of his assailants, "Go help the raptors!"

The Commander raced towards the two cornered dinosaurs sliding into the encircling thralls and bowling them to the ground. The raptors took advantage of their attackers' break in attention and pounced upon the nearest opponents to them, mauling them or slashing them to death with the two raptors' powerful talons. On the other side of the room, Terrias guided the four men he was fighting towards the ladder heading downstairs, knocking two of them down before the third fell down at will, pulling the servine down with him, but not before Terrias grabbed the _fourth_ man to pull down as well. One thrall attempted to strangle Alex from behind, but Blake pecked repeatedly at his hand until the creature fell back with a scream, pulling Alex to the ground. The bird cheeped in irritation, jumping off her perch and dashing across the room to where Ruby cowered in a dark corner of the house. The sound of an electrical zap filled the air, and before he even knew what was happening, all of the surrounding thralls stood stiffly in place, seizing spastically before falling to the ground, revealing a wounded Sonichu stumbling into the house clutching hit bleeding abdomen. Leaning on a wall for support, smearing blood across it before falling to the floor, a large group of the hedgehog's infantrymen flooded into the room, surrounding Alex and holding him at gunpoint.

Realizing his back was against the wall, the Commander ran towards them with a roar, oblivious to the dozen bullets tearing harmlessly through his flesh, working to dispatch and disarm the new arrivals. The surviving infantry resorted to electrokinesis, shooting beams of lightning from their palms to shock the Commander, who howled as he lost control over himself and fell to the ground. The infantrymen refusing to let up, Alex watched, incapacitated, as Sonichu slowly and carefully stood upright, stumbling towards him, having exchanged his spear for a pistol. The hedgehog stood over the Commander, kneeling forward and placing the barrel of his gun firmly against Alex's head, wearing a grin. Before he could pull the trigger, Alex was alarmed to hear Tiberius' booming screech, and the raptor tackled upon the hedgehog, knocking him to the ground and stabbing his bloody muzzle towards Sonichu's head. The hedgehog grabbed the _deinonychus'_ muzzle, holding him back, before slipping the barrel of the gun into the raptor's mouth, jamming it into the roof of his muzzle and pulling the trigger. With a pained and surprised squeal, Tiberius' head snapped back and he instantly collapsed limply to the ground, still and unmoving.

Athena joined into the fray, attempting to avenge her brother, but the weaker sibling was soon overpowered as well, and the Commander could only watch, body still spazzing in place even after the last of the electric streams striking him had ceased, as Sonichu's surviving soldiers grabbed and bound the two raptors, as if hunters bagging fresh kills.

"Now hold on!" a shrill, irritating voice suddenly spoke, and Alex watched as a young, morbidly obese man stumbled into the house, gasping for breath, "Wait for me!"

"We already have it taken care of, Father," Sonichu said, nodding towards the fat man.

Straightening as he finally recovered his breath, Christian grinned upon seeing the Commander laying upon the ground, smugly approaching him, "You remember me, prick?" he kicked Alex's stomach, but the attack went unfeeling beneath the paralyzing pain of his recent electrocution, "I'm the guy that you attacked and violated! I'm coming for my revenge!"

"I will kill you..." Alex whispered, voice harsh, "I will _FUCKING_ tear you apart!"

Sonichu moved to shoot him again, but Christian called him down, "No...let him live, I wanna make him suffer."

Alex looked to where Tiberius lay, bound and hogtied directly in front of him, and the raptor's eyes snapped open, glancing towards his adopted father with a mixed look of pain, fear, and sorrow. The Commander regained control of his body long enough to attempt to an extend a hand towards the male raptor, to pet his muzzle, but Christian wallowed towards him, "Well! What do we have here? Dinosaurs?"

"You leave them out of this..." Alex growled.

Christian kicked Tiberius's body, rolling the raptor onto his back and peering down at him, "We could use this thing..." and he turned to Sonichu, "Take both of these dinos back to New Bethlehem..." he crouched before the Commander, slapping his face several times, "You...ohoho, I've got some interesting things in mind for _you_. Maybe..." the fat man cocked his head to the side, "Maybe I'll have you tied up and gangraped by my friends, just like you did to _me_!"

"I'll do much worse once I can move again," the Commander roared.

"You can't kill him through normal means," Sonichu said, "And he's too dangerous to keep locked up in our city...I suggest you let him live, take his friends here and head back home. He will _never_ be able to find us."

Ignoring the hedgehog, Christian continued, still wearing that arrogant smirk that Alex desperately wanted to punch off the kid's face, "Where's your boyfriend, hmm? That stupid lizard? I have a few choice words to share with him."

Alex only responded by gathering as much saliva as he could from his dry mouth and spitting into the bastard's face. With a furious snarl, Christian viciously wiped his face dry, hacking up a ball of phlegm and spitting in Alex's face in reply, "Don't test me!" he growled through heavy breathing.

"Do your worst," Alex taunted, " _Nothing_ you can think up can compete to the shit I'll do to you once I get the opportunity. You're a wimp, a pathetic waste of air, more repulsive than a month-old ham, and you look and smell the part, too. You only won because you cheated, next time you won't be so lucky, I promise you this."

"You don't scare me! You're nothing but a great big bully!"

Alex grinned, imitating Hannibal Lecter's infamous hissing jumpscare while in his prison cell in _Silence of the Lambs_.

Christian flinched before scowling and slapping Alex once again, "You will pay!" he straightened, waving towards the rest of his group, "Take these stupid dinosaurs, and take _me_ back to New Bethlehem, I've had enough of this cold."

As Christian stood by one of the many fires burning in the house to warm himself, Sonichu, still clutching his wounded stomach, waved for their forces to continue. Several soldiers approached the two raptors, partially lifting them from the ground and dragging them to where Sonichu and Christian were huddled by the fire. "No!" Alex hissed, crawling towards them, "I'll fucking kill you! Leave them alone!"

Just as he grabbed the leg of one of the soldiers, pulling him to the ground, Sonichu limped over to him, picking up a spear and jamming it through Alex's torso and into the floor. In shock, the Commander glanced down where the bloody shaft punched through his breast, and he watched as his body slowly slid down the surface until he was laying on the floor, vaguely aware of the sound of blood dripping onto the floor below. He weakly reached towards soldiers, just managing to walk out of his grasp, and he relaxed as one of the soldiers cast a spell and the group disappeared in a flash of bright lavender. Ruby finally crawled out of hiding, sobbing and running over to her mate, still pinned to the ground and semi-conscious. She pulled the spear free, helping him onto his feet and leading him outside. Behind them, the ceiling of their house collapsed in on itself. Shortly after, Terrias dashed out of the ruins, covered in soot and dust, but otherwise appearing unharmed. Noticing Ruby tending to Alex's injuries on the ground, the snow around his body painted red from his bleeding wounds, the servine ran to join them, crouching beside the Commander, "Shit! What happened?"

Alex grabbed his friend forcefully by the shoulder, pulling him down until they were eye level, "That... _fucker_...captured Tiberius and Athena...!"

"I think we have bigger problems..." the servine replied, nodding to where _Filios Diaboli_ slowly approached. As the servine stood upright, readying himself for battle, there was a brilliant flash of light, and the shadowy mist lifted from the burning compound, taking with it the shadow-knights. Behind where the shadow-knights had stood, the Omniversals approached.

With a furious snarl, Alex stood upright on unsteadily legs, storming towards the Omniversals, " _YOU!_ "

"Alex!" Terrias began in a hurried tone, "Alex, wait...! I don't think they were...!"

"I'll fucking kill you! I'll kill all _THREE_ of you!" the Commander hissed, hurling a fireball towards the Omniversals, who nimbly dodged the attack.

"Us? What the hell are you talking about?!" Synthia shouted.

"You sent those cunts here!" Alex roared through clenched teeth, struggling to breathe against the pain, "I fucking _know_ you did!"

Cynder then landed beside them, gasping, "Alex!" and she ran to her mate's side, only to be gently pushed aside by Ruby so she could continue tending to the Commander.

" _You_ told them where we live! _You_ brought them here!" the Commander continued.

"Alex...I don't think they were responsible..." Terrias said, attempting to defuse the heated situation.

"Well," Jazz began, suddenly emerging from the shadows of a ruined building nearby, "Vergil was chatting with them...they know each other."

"Why would they do such a thing?" Ruby asked, "I thought they didn't want to get involved?"

"No..." Alex growled, "They just want to fuck me over because I pissed in their Cheerios and hurt their little feefees."

"Feefees? What are you, five?" Violet mocked.

Ignoring this, Synthia approached him, "Listen up, dumbass. If I wanted to hurt you, I would just fucking do it. As I recall, it wouldn't be to hard, either. Perhaps you remember..." she turned to Jazz, "Secondly, Bugs, we were only talking to him because he was kinda holding us in place. Since you were there, maybe you noticed unless you're completely fucking blind. Furthermore, I don't know who he is, and I've no idea how he knows who I am. What I do know now is that you assholes were telling the truth, and we're here to offer our help. Of course, if you'd rather point fingers and get jack shit done, by all means. Go ahead. I've no problem leaving your world to die."

"I don't want your _fucking_ help!" Alex spat, "I want you to get out of my fucking town, out of my fucking life. And I swear to _FUCKING_ God Almighty that if I see even the tiniest _iota_ of your existence, I will have Necrodusk kill your _precious_ fucking brother!"

"Uh...Alex...is it really necessary to antag..."

"Shut up, Terrias!" the Commander hissed.

"And what are you gonna do about me then, huh?" the servine asked defensively, "As far as I'm concerned, I'm stuck with Alex...that's _their_ Alex..."

"Oh, you're on a first name basis now?" the Commander grunted, tone malicious, "You fucking traitor."

"I'm sorry, _traitor_? Fuck you, man!"

"You tried to kill my son, you _damn_ near killed Ruby, and now you're conspiring with _them_ against _me_? Some friend you are! I should have let you die in that goddamn arena."

"I fucking apologized, man! Get off my ass! They're innocent, that much I _do_ know."

"No, they're monsters...they _deserve_ to be extinguished..." Alex turned to the Omniversals, "You have two hours to pack whatever shit you have and get the fuck out of my sight."

"And what about me?" Terrias asked, voice hurt.

The Commander turned to face the servine before his eyes snapped back to the Omniversals, "He's your problem, now..." and without another sound, Alex began to head back. Ruby tried to hold him, but he merely shoved her away, limping back to his ruined house.

Ruby sadly turned to face Terrias, who had closed his eyes and lowered his head, his expression unreadable. Jazz hugged the servine, who only said, "I thought we were friends..."

Synthia, indifferent to the scene they just witnessed, said, "Well, can't say we didn't try, at least. Let's go find Alex's body and get out of here."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Violet asked.

"We'll think of something," Synthia responded before turning to leave, the others following.

Terrias turned one final glance towards Alex, having collapsed to his knees in front of his ruined house, his back to them, defeated. The servine struggled not to cry, and he could quietly here Ruby sobbing. "Terrias..." Cynder began, heartbroken, "You don't have to go...he didn't mean it, he's just...he's worn out."

"No...he meant every word," the servine replied, gently taking off his battered dog tags and clutching them tightly, "Tell him I said thanks...for the second chance...for everything..." and he handed the tags to the she-dragon, who lost control of her own emotions. "Goodbye, Alex..." the servine said beneath his breath, turning and walking away. Once he caught up to the Omniversals, he asked, "Before we go...can we pick up my mate and son, first?"

"Sure thing. Lead the way," Synthia responded.

The rest of the High Command stood back, watching in a mixture of horror and heartbreak as Terrias left them behind, and each and every one of them there could feel a cold, distrusting bitterness towards the exhausted Commander. "What do we do now?" Jazz asked, the only one who managed to control himself and didn't seem to show any emotion, though he was hurting as much as everyone else, having come to accept his former rival as a good friend.

"We rebuild..." Cynder said, getting control of herself.


	16. Chapter XV: Animal House

_**Chapter XV**_ **:**

 **-''Animal House''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _30 August 2016_ -**

 **- _0918 Hours_ -**

" _What are you gonna do, huh?"_

 _Alex opens his eyes, finding himself tied to a chair. Standing before him, he can see Piermont—in his human form—walking circles around a similarly-bound Ruby, bound and gagged, tears flowing down her face._

" _Listen to me, bud..." Piermont chuckles, and he waves a revolver around his head, "I gave you a dozen and one chances to make this go a helluva lost easier, but you, you stubborn prick...you just dunno when to give up."_

 _He places the barrel of the loaded gun against her head, and Alex can do nothing but watch in horror, unable to avert his eyes, as Ruby struggles and sobs beneath her gag. He can't even speak, to say anything to defuse the situation._

" _Let's play a little game, hmm? There's one bullet in here, let's see who dies. Your girlfriend, or your boy. Round one!" and he pulls the trigger. Ruby squeezes her tearstained eyes shut, flinching as a resounding_ click _echoes through the small, dingy room. He then plants the barrel of the gun against her distended belly, "Round two!" only another click answered his declaration. "Round three," and he puts the gun back towards her head, pulling the trigger. A loud bang echoes throughout the room, Ruby's head snaps back, staining the wall nearby in a spray of blood, bone, and gray matter._

" _RUBY!" he finally screams, attempting to tear free from his binds before Piermont places the gun between the Commander's own eyes, "And now, it's your turn," as he pulls the trigger..._

…"Alex!" Ruby exclaimed, shaking Alex awake. The Commander shot up in bed, waking up in a cold sweat with enough force to startle his deeply concerned mate. He gasped for breath, finding that his lungs refused to respond, and Ruby was immediately on him, "Shh! Shh, it's okay...it's okay..." she soothed, "It was just a dream..."

"Ruby..." he choked, unable to catch his breath, "I-I..."

"Shh...don't talk, just breathe."

He fell silent, gasping as his lungs finally decided to cooperate. As he lay on his bed, his heart racing, Ruby caressed his bare stomach and chest with her fin, "It's okay..." she smiled sadly towards him, "It was just a bad dream, it's okay, I'm fine, the baby's fine...everything's fine."

Once he had finally calmed, Ruby hugged her mate, curling around him. He could feel her heart beating against his chest, their hearts beat in almost perfect synchronization, and the warm temperature of her slick belly warmed his chest against the bitter cold seeping into the bedroom through the loosened window.

"I don't want to lose you," he said, "Don't leave me alone..."

"You won't," she replied, "I promise...I'm never going to leave you. I will _never_ leave you."

Alex stepped outside of Hjerim, glancing around before slipping his phone out of his pocket and turning it on. A few minutes later, it rang and he took the call, "Sam...got anything new to report?"

"Well, I might have a few leads that you can check out, but it's too much to really speak over the phone. I'm sure by this point you're almost dead anyway. What about you?"

"Vernhelm was razed...attacked by _Filios Diaboli_ and a couple of goons that Terrias and I had a nasty run-in with back when we were in prison. Oh, and Terrias is gone."

"Shite...what happened?"

"He and I had...a falling out, of sorts..."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry about it...so you have a lead?"

"Yeah...we might have found a weakness to take down Vergil, I'd imagine you don't want me to tell you over an unsecured line."

"Sure, we'll head there ASAP."

"See you soon."

"See ya," and he ended the call, leaning his head against the cold, steel-barred fence surrounding the house, sitting down upon the stone foundation within which the bars were set. Memory of the nightmare kept surging through his head, and he couldn't help but to fear for Ruby's life. It wasn't an unusual nightmare, he had dreamed countless ones similar to that, although this one peered more vivid and detailed than the others. He didn't think it was a vision—at least it didn't _feel_ like one—but the realization that it was a very possible outcome to this whole situation with Piermont concerned him regardless. Overwhelmed with the urge to feel Ruby's presence, he turned off his phone again, took one brief look towards the snow drifting silently down from the gloomy skies, and returned into the warm depths of Hjerim.

Before heading back upstairs, he quietly crept across the squeaky wooden floors on the bottom level, peering into a room that Piermont, Spyro, Sonic, and Nala slept, purposely keeping them away from the rest of the other members. The other doors were bolted tight, so he didn't bother trying to get into them. Only after this did he go upstairs to the room that he shared with Ruby, Cynder, and Azazel, lightly rapping on the door until it unlocked and Ruby let him inside. "What did Sam have to say?" the dolphin asked, quietly closing the door and bolting it shut again. Out of all the rooms, their door, the only one made of wood-plated stone, had the most locks on it, a precaution that Alex had managed to convince Ulfric to have done for him in an effort to protect Ruby from any surprise attacks from the maddened dragon that lived downstairs.

"He might have a lead for us," Alex replied, "But we need to head down there ourselves...he wouldn't say over the phone."

"It must be fairly important then..."

"That's what I'm thinking," the Commander replied, "You in a decent state to head out?"

She scoffed playfully, "Yeah, of course! I'm only pregnant, it's not like I got badly hurt in battle or something."

He took a seat on his straw-mattressed bed, opening the nightstand and withdrawing Terrias' dogtags. In the light emitted by the candles strewn around the room, the _only_ source of lightning until he brought down the thick cloth over the windows blocking out sunlight, they shined, and he clenched them tightly in his hand. Ruby sat down next to him, gently leaning her head against his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"Fine..." he replied, replacing the tags, "I miss him, that's all."

"Do you regret chasing him away?"

"I can't help but feel it was the only way to keep you safe. The world wants you dead."

"He didn't."

"No, he didn't...but his friendliness with Omniversals—who _do_ want us dead—just wasn't compatible with us. Hopefully, he'll realize how monstrous those bastards really are, and he'll come back to our side...but until then."

"Cheer up, Alex, everything will be okay."

"You know, I wish I could say that I believe you, Ruby...but I'd be lying."

"What do you have to worry about?"

"Everything. Between Vergil, losing New Alexandria, whether or not our son will be evil, the end of the fuckin' world...and now on top of everything else, we have to worry about Sonichu's goddamn goons, and losing Tiberius and Athena."

"We'll find them...and as for everything else, just let it go. There's no sense in killing yourself over all of this."

"I can't _stop_ worrying, Ruby...we're in _danger_."

"Not right now," she replied with a coy smile, "We're protected by stone walls, a stone door, it's just you and I awake...neither Vergil nor Sonichu know where we relocated. At least for now we are almost completely safe."

"The floor is still wood."

"Stop being so paranoid," she replied, kissing his cheek, "We're safe for now, and at the end of the day, everything will work out. Don't worry, love. For now, let's just enjoy the peace and quiet, and enjoy the time we have together, at least for now."

"What are you implying?" he replied with a grin, and she cast him a seductive wink.

"You know very well what I'm implying."

"But Cynder and Azazel..."

"Cynder doesn't mind, and both she and Azazel are asleep anyway."

"We'll have to be quiet."

"Yes..." she replied with a nod.

"Will that be too hard for you?" he chuckled, "You can be kinda loud sometimes."

"I'll control it."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay then...I'm trusting you."

"That's all I ask..." she replied, gently pushing him down onto the bed and climbing atop him, kissing his mouth, "Now fulfill your duties to me, beloved mate."

"Oh, taking an aggressive stance this time?"

She shrugged playfully, "I've been working on it. Now, stop talking...you have a job to do."

After they finished, Alex slipped outside again, this time to light a smoke. As he smoked in silence, he heard a soft voice speak behind him, "You and Ruby really do love and care for each other."

"Cynder...we didn't wake you, did we?"

The she-dragon shrugged, "I'm just glad that you two are so happy together. You're a good mate, you know that?"

"How so?"

"Well," she chuckled, "You always make sure the girl finishes first...sometimes multiple times. That means a lot to us."

"We were only trying to take care of each other, relieve stress and whatnot."

"She's lucky to have you... _I'm_ lucky to have you."

"Is Zaz awake?"

"No, he's still sleeping."

"Well, that's good at least..." Alex sighed, "By the way, Sam has a lead for us, says he might know a way we can defeat Vergil, but he wouldn't say over the phone."

"When are we heading out?"

"Haven't decided yet, gonna talk to the others first."

"I figured you'd be right on it, given your insatiable desire to utterly obliterate Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_."

"Yeah well...finding my kids has taken a slightly higher priority."

"Tiberius and Athena?"

Alex nodded.

"We'll find them."

"I know...I swear to God...if he so much as _touches_ a scale on them..."

Cynder nuzzled his neck, purring in an attempt to soothe him, "Don't worry...we'll find them. For now, we have a lead on how to stop Vergil, let's go for it."

The _Commander's Wing_ , sans Piermont, who had disappeared,appeared in the skies above Coulson, North Carolina, flying low over the mountaintops _en route_ to the college where Sam was staying. Below them, the grounded members of Alpha Company followed along over the peaks, attempting to keep up with the dragons and Dash above. Alex clinging to Dash's back, he spied the college appear over the horizon, glowing in the sunrise. "Really hope Sam's got some good news," the pegasus began, "Sooner we can hunt down Vergil and his guys, the better."

"He wouldn't tell me the details of what he found...line wasn't secure."

"Makes sense..." then, "Whaddya think? We got a way to kill Vergil?"

"I can only hope, Dash," he replied, petting her mane, "I can only hope..."

With Cynder and Spyro announcing the unit's arrival with roars, the _Commander's Wing_ landed in the heart of the college, near the fountain. The students immediately fell back in surprise, some fleeing once the grounded members of Alpha Company launched out of the brush and into the plaza, reuniting with the rest of their unit. "Hell we supposed to be meeting Sam?" Dash asked. Although, almost as soon as she said this, the young man approached, tall, sleek, and slender, arms in the pockets of his blue jeans, a dull, dark gray tam o'shanter on his head, and a light, thin, black jacket.

"Good to see ya," Sam greeted, raising a hand.

Alex dismounted from Dash, walking over to an hugging the Irishman, "Good to see you, too, mate. Whaddya got?"

He nodded towards the north, "Follow me, I'll show ya."

Walking across campus, they passed beneath one of the class buildings, entering a moderately-sized, forested garden. Walking along the cobblestone path snaking around the trees, plants, and over the babbling brook that passed through the center, Sam began, "Sorry to hear about Vernhelm."

"Nothing you could have done, mate," Alex replied, "We're just all glad to be alive."

"Glad to see Ruby's still doing well...looks like her pregnancy is fairly healthy, too."

"It is," the dolphin replied with a coy smile, walking alongside her mate.

"Surprised that Piermont isn't around..." and Sam took a brief head count, "Actually looks like you're missing several guys."

"Piermont ran off to Christ knows where," Alex began, "Tiberius and Athena were kidnapped by one of the two groups of soldiers that attacked Vernhelm..."

"What about Terrias? I miss the little guy, surprised _he's_ not around, at least."

"Well...he and I had a bit of a...falling out. I'm hoping he comes to his senses soon."

"Ow...sounds like you've been in some deep shite recently."

"You can't even begin to imagine."

"Well, hopefully this news I got will make things a little better for you guys."

"Anything you have that's useful will improve our situation."

They finally reached the end of the garden, ascending a set of stairs and strolling across a boardwalk-type path towards the campus library. Sam held the door open, allowing them inside, before slipping inside himself, and he guided them deeper into the main room. Several students looked up from their research, casting the new arrivals unsettled glances before quietly and subtly falling back, hiding in the rows of bookshelves from the animalian Alpha Company. One of the librarians walked over to them, but Sam dismissed her, saying, "Contrary to what it might seem, they're all intelligent."

"Yeah, we can speak just fine," Dash chuckled, "Probably more human than most peeps here."

The librarian just stood there in bewilderment for a few moments before turning around and heading back to her desk. "Over here," Sam called, standing beside the stairs in the middle of the room that went down to the lower floor. They followed him down into the research section, following him towards the back of the large, cluttered floor to where his small office resided, obsessively clean, despite the several stacks of books he had scattered about, including several notebooks of scribbled notes and in-progress translations.

"So," Sam began, taking a seat at the chair by his desk, "I've been quite busy tearing through those tomes and other related things, stumbled upon something interesting."

"Whaddya got?" Alex asked.

"Well, it's not in one of the books...but there was an old news article I found," he opened one of his notebooks, sliding a yellowed clipping over to Alex, who gently picked it up and examined it, "From about thirteen, fourteen years ago..." the Commander quickly skimmed over the article as Sam continued, "A woman, Anita Satō, claimed to have given an 'immaculate birth' to a girl, whom she named Akumi."

"Why is this important or even relevant to Vergil?" Alex began, tossing the clipping back down onto the table, "I thought you said you had a lead."

"I do...and this is it," Sam replied, "If you'll let me finish, it'll make sense."

"I'm listening."

"I was asking around about any odd tidbits of information that the university might have on record, they presented me with a stack of archived documents...one of which was this news clipping. What made it particularly interesting is the fact that this woman claims that she was a virgin when she gave birth, and there is medical evidence to support this, given that her parents were on the brink of disowning her—sometimes I read irrelevant little factoids if they catch my eye. Anyway, it's not really the circumstances of this girl's conception that I found so strange...but the nature of the girl herself. See, although Anita _claims_ that this girl was the result of immaculate conception, she also said that the girl had a 'dark aura' about her. Did a little more digging, found out that Anita obsessed over a bunch of journals she had before she just up and disappeared off the face of the planet. One of her friends found them while cleaning her apartment and held onto them. I got into contact with this friend, got access to the journals, and reading through them, found some more interesting ramblings. You see, this girl, Akumi...apparently possesses 'unholy' abilities, and from the description these journals provided, sounds like Akumi was a mutant. Telepathy, telekinesis, multiple elemental abilities, and here's a _really_ interesting one for you...she would often 'turn into smoke' while Anita was holding her."

"What...you think Akumi and Vergil might be related?"

"Anita did curse the girl's apparent father as a 'liar', who claimed to be an 'angel of God', but soon revealed himself to be one of the 'cruelest demons'...sounds like our boy?"

"If Vergil _was_ the father, why would he even bother trying to have offspring anyway? Seems reproduction and having a family is the _last_ thing on his mind."

"That's what's so strange. I have a feeling that this pregnancy may have been unintentional, accidental pregnancies and whatnot."

"But you said that Anita was a virgin when she gave birth..."

"Indeed I did, and that's what makes things so strange. There was medical evidence in the research I did that showed that Anita was indeed a virgin and pregnant...it absolutely mystified the doctors."

"How the hell did you get access to her medical records?"

"Magic, fairy tale wings, and pixie dust...or rather, I just hacked the university's database, traced Anita's student and medical bills—which she's still paying off—back to her bank, then from there, branched out to the doctor she visits pretty regularly, then through _there_ to get access to her full, updated file. I found Akumi's too, and indeed it's pretty strange. A lot of black marks and unfinished reports...heavily encrypted, even more than it _should_ be...definitely suspicious."

"So what are you saying we do then?"

"Well, Anita—a transfer student—lives in Takayama these days, having dropped out of university and returned to her homeland to raise her daughter, and judging from recent payments she's been making, Akumi herself looks to be attending a private boarding school on the outskirts of Tokyo."

"Trouble girl?"

"Very much so...Akumi lives up to her name, she's been in and out of trouble with the law. Everything from theft, assault and battery, prostitution...she's been featured in a few pornographies...all within the past two or three years."

"Jesus..."

"And if she _is_ the daughter of Vergil...we might be able to use her to defeat him."

"How do you know she'll cooperate."

"Well...she has apparently had several threats made against her life. Authorities just think that she got in bad with the Yakuza, even though the descriptions she's made of her attempted assassins seem to better fit those of _Filios Diaboli_ thralls or shadow-knights."

"Vergil wants her dead?"

"I'd imagine if he thinks she can be a liability, or used against him...the safest thing to do is dispose of her, and they've nearly succeeded on a few occasions. She's under heavy observation, meaning you're going to have some fun busting her out."

"So what do we do then?"

"Go on vacation to Japan, you might even be able to find a nice hotel adjacent to, if not in, _Shibuya_..." and Sam grinned, "Hell, I'm sure you and Ruby can find a decent love hotel to stay in while you're there."

"A what?"

"Nevermind..." he replied, "Anyway, might be able to book you guys a room, if you're willing to go."

"As if we really have much of a choice?" Alex asked.

"All right, I'll get right on that."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

As Alpha Company split up to do their own things, Cynder stayed back until everyone else had left before approaching Sam, "Hey...can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"I'd imagine you're going to try and book rooms depending on the various relationships we have? Y'know...couples get rooms and such?"

"Yeah, that's the plan, why?"

"Can you room me with Alex and Ruby? Spyro and I...we're not really together anymore. He's abusive—physically and verbally—and we haven't slept in the same bed for months."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you were able to break away from the cycle. Sure, I'll see what I can do...I don't see why I wouldn't be able to."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem...although it may be a little cramped if you, Alex, Ruby, and Zaz are all sharing the room."

"That'll be fine...I just don't want to be paired with Spyro...or really anybody. If you can't pair me with Alex, I'd like to request a private room."

"I'll see what I can do, and I'll let you all know what's going on later today."

"Thanks again, Sam."

"No problem, take care of yourself, all right?"

Cynder nodded before finally leaving the room, running to catch up to the others.


	17. Chapter XVI: Tazei Ni Buzei

_**Chapter XVI**_ **:**

 **-'' _Tazei Ni Buzei_ ''-**

 **-Coulson, North Carolina-**

 **- _03 September 2016_ -**

 **- _01030 Hours_ -**

"So who exactly is going on this trip?" Cynder asked, walking down the middle of the fountain with Alex, "You can't really get away with taking _all_ of us."

"Thinking a three-man party, dunno who to bring a long with me yet though."

The she-dragon halted him, "May I make a suggestion?"

"Sure."

"Take Ruby...she's been kinda lonely since you've been taking everyone _but_ her out on your missions. I understand you're stressed and worried about hers and the baby's safety but...this shouldn't be a real complicated mission, and I think she would _really_ appreciate you taking her along."

"I was thinking about doing that anyway."

"Good...and you said you needed one more person?"

"Ideally, yeah."

Cynder fell silent for a few moments, pondering. "Well...I'd assume you might need a pilot...take Rocket, or Eli."

"Rocket can't keep a human form, which we might need to maintain a low profile."

"Then take Eli."

Alex sighed, rubbing his temples.

"However, I suggest _also_ taking Rocket and keeping him aside in the event you need some firepower to help make a getaway. In theory, this mission _should_ be fairly simple, but if Vergil is after this bitch as well...and since things are _never_ easy for us...having a fireteam on standby as a 'just in case' would do nothing but benefit you."

"I have the _Nighthawks_."

"True, but I mean an _actual_ fireteam, like pull a few trusted members of Alpha Company—notice I said _trusted_ members...since if something happens and Ruby can't do something particularly complicated or difficult, there's a team that can keep an eye on her without endangering her in the process. I also advise _not_ telling Piermont about this."

"Pfft...like I would?"

Cynder shrugged, "Fair enough..." and she sighed, "Listen, I know you still think that Piermont is in there... _somewhere_. But to be completely honest with you, hon...I think all the lights are on upstairs, but nobody's home."

"I'm still holding on with the hopes he'll come to his senses."

"Alex, he's becoming a liability...he's bogging us down. Did you _see_ him when Vernhelm was razed? He didn't even know there was a battle going on!"

"I'm not going to hurt him if I can get away with it."

"So what will it take you to put him out of his misery? Cause all you're doing right now is making him suffer. Putting him down—or having one of us put him down for you—is an act of mercy. Right now, you're just letting a mortally wounded animal suffer."

"This isn't up for debate, Cyn."

She sighed, "What will it take you to do what's necessary? Will you wait until he's holding a gun up to Ruby's head?" and at this statement, memory of the nightmare Alex had flared in his brain, causing him to wince. Thankfully, the she-dragon didn't seem to notice, "It's like you still trust him not to pull something..." she continued, "You've been leaving Ruby alone _with_ him and those who are against you while you take those who _are_ loyal and trustworthy with you on your missions. Yeah you've kept her in hiding, but you've still left her alone in the lion's den without any support. That's partly why I think you really need to bring Ruby with you this time...and try to bring her with you more often. She's pregnant, she's not crippled, and she's _far_ from weak and unable to participate in combat. She's a tough sonuvabitch, you know that and _I_ know that...but Piermont is _extremely_ dangerous, especially to her. I've talked with her, too, and she's always scared that you'll leave her again. She hates being here alone...I would be, too, if I knew I was a liability and had, like, ninety-five percent of the residents where I live looking for an excuse to drag me to be painfully executed by the village maniac."

Alex paused her here, "Tell me, Cyn...with all this talk trying to convince me to kill Piermont. If Spyro went as far down as Pierre is, would _you_ kill him if I kept pressuring you to do so?"

Her eyes narrowed, "Actually, yes I would. Because I can _see_ how far he's gone, and if he gets any lower, and it's a decision between his life and the lives of my children...I would choose my children over him any day, as would _any_ respectable parent. So tell me, Alex, why are _you_ afraid to kill him? Piermont has made _several_ direct threats to Ruby's safety...he shot her, even went so far as to pull a _Manson Family_ on her that she narrowly got away from. What are you scared of? Why are you just...letting him do this? And don't you _dare_ give me the 'boys will be boys' bullshit, because I _know_ you don't believe in that. Do you not care about Ruby's safety? Or the safety of your own fucking children?"

"Of course I care!" Alex hissed, exploding, "You don't think I do? Ruby is the love of my fuckin' life, I would do _ANYTHING_ to protect her, just like I would do _ANYTHING_ to protect you! The reason why I can't bring myself to kill Piermont, or _let_ anyone kill Piermont..."

"It's about the bond, isn't it?" Cynder interrupted.

Alex fell silent, biting his lip and glancing towards the ground, collapsing into a bench overlooking the fountain and planting his head in his hands.

"It is."

He shrugged, "Of course it is...Cyn, you've _see_ what happens to riders when their dragons are killed...I don't want to become that."

"Alex...Piermont is already dead. If you are relatively fine with the state he's in now...where he's _completely_ disconnected from almost _all_ of Alpha Company, then putting him down is the same damn thing as pulling a dead tooth. It won't hurt, but it _will_ stop the infection still festering inside of it from spreading to and killing everything else around it, what _will_ hurt. You dodged a bullet somehow...who knows how, but you did. He's gone, Alex...you'd only be doing yourself, Ruby, and him a favor by pulling the trigger."

"I...I can't, Cyn..."

She placed a comforting paw on his knee, "Then let someone else who _can_ do it...let _me_ do it."

He shook his head, "No."

Surrendering, Cynder only sighed, pursing her lips and shaking her head, "Then I pray to God that it's not too late when you finally realize that it needs to be done. Just because you're my friend and my mate, and because I love you, I'm not going to sit there and rub it in your face that I was right all along, that I told you so...I just hope you can get there before he does something to harm Ruby or your son..." and with this, the she-dragon walked away, disappearing into the cafeteria at the opposite end of the plaza. Alex only looked towards where she had gone, his gaze shifting to the fountain, spewing a jet of water thirty feet into the air to free-fall back down into the basin. She was right, of course, and although he had the queerest idea that killing Piermont would not adversely affect him, as a rider losing his bonded dragon would normally do, he still couldn't bring himself to harm one of only two people in the entire world that he had confided his entire past and identity into, someone whom he had—not so long ago—trusted more than anyone else in the world, that he was sure would be the last one there for him if everything went to shit.

Later that day, after paying a visit to Sam at his office in the library to update the Irishman on his plan for the trip, Alex called a conference with his most trusted allies within Alpha Company in the heart of the plaza, "Here's the deal," he began, pacing back and forth, "Ruby, Eli, and myself will be part of the extraction team that goes down there to look for Miss Satō. Rocket, Jazz, Scarlet, Kira, you are gonna be our support...if things get hairy, you're all in charge of making sure we can get out of there. The _Nighthawks_ will provide additional overwatch, so we have two fireteams covering our asses...expecting both teams to work together here. Cyn, you're in charge of operations here, make sure everyone stays on track to hunt down the Omniversals and/or fuckin' Chris-Chan and Sonichu. Sam will stay here and provide us with additional information as he comes across it, and Fox will be coming with us as a medic to keep an eye on Ruby's health."

"Got it," Cynder replied with a nod.

"So what? We just gonna ignore _Filios Diaboli_?" Dash asked.

"For now? Yes. Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_ will keep to themselves until they figure out where we are, and we have some time before that happens. Chris-Chan, on the other hand, has Tiberius and Athena, and I have a feeling that they're going to go through a constant hell until they're rescued. As for the Omniversals? I just want to kill those cunts, so Chris-Chan is the highest priority target at the moment."

"Understood," Cynder replied.

"Makes sense to me," Dash shrugged.

"We'll have our phones on us at all times, and Sam's frat boys have agreed to shelter Alpha until we get back, so there should be no excuse to not answer if we have to call you for any reason. Likewise, if something important comes up, give us a call. I just don't want to hear someone call and complain that Piermont was preaching to and bullying students around.

"When you guys leaving?" Rapid asked, leaning up against the brick wall of one of the raised gardens that encircled the fountain, arms crossed on his furry chest.

"We're heading to Asheville tonight, gonna take a plane to Tokyo."

"We're taking a plane?" Jazz chuckled, "Why don't we just fly there like we always do."

"Well, we don't have access to our Hornets—which are still in New Alexandria—and we don't have any dragons coming with us."

Jazz shrugged, "Good point."

" _The child must die..._ "

Piermont stirred from his slumber, his eyes snapping open.

" _Where is the child?_ "

As she had been doing for months, the Adjudicator kept lingering at the back of his mind, taunting and teasing him, demanding that he find and kill the child. Ever since she had defeated him what seemed like eons ago, she remained there, searching everywhere, in both his mind and those of his companions, for the child.

" _I know you're hiding him, where is he!?_ "

"Kiss my ass, bitch, he's _mine_ " Piermont laughed, "You can have whatever little bloody chunks remain."

" _No!_ I _must kill the child!_ "

"Fight me for it you cowardly cunt!" he snarled, "This time no games! No little mind tricks! Fight me like a man! Or are you too scared?"

" _I'm not afraid of someone as inept as you_."

"Why you little...!" he roared, craning his maw and breathing a pillar of flame into the nighttime sky. He slept by himself up in the mountains, away from the curious eyes of the pathetic little kids that attended the school down below. Their minds were trivial and tiny, they gnawed at his own, eating away at him, like a fly buzzing in his head that he couldn't scatter. Shaking himself free of the binds tethering him to Alpha Company had liberated him, it had eased the pain and nightmarish hell that he saw whenever he looked around, through open or closed eyes. The only downside was now his mind, craving contact, was open to _anything_ that could broadcast, meaning so many tiny, unevolved minds wandering around and thinking carelessly about random, unimportant things constantly assailed him, irritating and annoying...what was worse is that he couldn't shake them. Even distancing himself from the world only opened his mind to the bestial thoughts of nature's creatures, and the enigmatic thoughts of plants.

And then there was the Adjudicator.

What made it worse is that her mission seemed to be almost subconscious, as if she wasn't even aware she was broadcasting and searching for the child. This, of course, meant that her mind refused to stop pecking at his, even when he threatened and demanded it to stop. She bled into his dreams, her mental presence haunting him every second of the day, and it _wouldn't go away!_ How could nobody else sense her? Was she scouring _everyone_ 's minds? Or just his? The Adjudicator's personality seemed to operate on a lower channel than Alpha Company or any other telepathic entity did...was it possible she was out of range of everyone except him? He had, after all, managed to fall _out_ of Alpha Company's channels of telepathic thought, freeing him from their maddening presence.

 _The child must die!_

"SHUT UP!" he roared, "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" and he repeatedly smashed his head into a stone cliffside, oblivious to the pain, even as red obscured his vision, staining the rock in front of him. Even with his head deeply lacerated and bleeding heavily, he felt nothing, and he repeatedly smashed his head and face into the rock, trying to silence the voice.

 _Where is the child!?_

And with an animalistic screech, Piermont smashed his head into the bloody stone as hard as he could, stumbling drunkenly backwards as the voice finally fell silent, leaving a trail of splattered blood around him. "At last..." he chuckled, blood flowing freely from several deep cuts around his face, and he fell backwards to the ground, consciousness winking out instantly.

Sitting in a window seat in First Class of the darkened plane, Alex cracked the window open, peering out below. The lights of Tokyo stretched on for miles, and the sight was astonishing, they would be landing anytime now. The human-form Ruby, sleeping in the seat beside him, her head resting on his shoulder, stirred and mumbled something, and he turned to face his sleeping mate, smiling and gently stroking her maroon-maned head. He glanced down at the pregnant bulge jutting from her long, full-length, baby-blue dress, softly placing his bionic hand upon it. Once again, he had forgotten that he could feel nothing with the absent arm, even though he thought he should with his phantom limb. Clenching his fist, he could even feel his long, uncut fingernails digging into his wrist. With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair, closing the window to cut out the lights from shining in his face. As he closed his cold-blue killer's eyes, visions of his brutal fight against Zack flashed through his head, and he snapped them open again.

" _We are all Prisoners of Fate, Ali..."_

He smiled sadly towards Ruby again, placing his right hand upon her pregnant belly, feeling the unborn child squirm beneath the skin and cloth, and he whispered in a low voice, "I will not become you, Zack."

In the furthest depths of his mind, his old friend and idol responded, " _You already have..._ "

"Were you able to get those weapons smuggled on?" Kane whispered, suddenly appearing in the seat across from Alex.

He nodded, "Yeah, they're down below, we'll just have to pull a few Jedi Mind Tricks to get through the workers."

"How well are we armed?"

"As well as I could get with our limited supply, so hope we don't have to fight more than like..." Alex shrugged, "Twenty, thirty guys...and make sure you can get one-shot kills."

Jazz shrugged, "Shouldn't be _too_ hard, I'm the best shooter in the unit, remember? That's why you made me the team sniper."

"That was also, like, fifteen years ago, man."

The rabbit chuckled, "I may have gone through a couple of resurrections in that time, but time has not worn down by aim...the only question I have, is why I didn't use a sniper during my tenure as the Shade King...a revolver only has so much range, after all."

"If you would have gone to the sniper, we would have been fucked."

"Precisely," the human-form rabbit grinned. He stood tall and thin, with ashen skin, short but wild, greasy black hair, and a gray business suit, complete with a red tie, looking almost sickly, "I was trained on a sniper rifle, a pistol is a little different..." and silence fell before them for several moments before Jazz nodded towards the Commander, "Ruby really trusts you...I've never seen the girl look so calm and serene."

Alex smiled towards his mate again, stroking her shoulder, "She knows she's safe when she's in my arms."

"You're a lucky man."

"Perhaps."

"Anyway, so how much difficulty do you think we'll have here?"

"Hopefully not much...we aren't suited to face an entire army, not until Nick and Zaz get back from the run to New Alexandria with any supplies they could salvage. Even then, we're running low on incendiary rounds."

"Why have you been wasting incendiary rounds anyway? You're a badass with pyrokinesis."

Alex shrugged, "Guess I'm _also_ a dumbass who's too damn lazy to waste expend energy on fireballs when he can just shoot a gun."

Jazz chuckled, "You always did try to seek the path of least resistance."

"Fuck yeah..." then, "You ready for this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Any excuse to get out of fucking winter for a few days is perfectly fine in my book."

"Can't fault you there."

"You sure Ruby will be okay through all of this?"

"She'll be fine...I probably won't take her with me during the actual action-y shit. I'll let her stay back with Fox. All I really want to do is keep her away from Piermont, now that he knows she's alive, it's only a matter of time before he tries something."

"Yeah, or he sends Spyro to do something."

"That, too."

Jazz shook his head, "Why is it the assholes that always get coupled up."

"Hell you talkin' about, mate? I thought you weren't attracted to anyone here."

"No, I'm not attracted to _you_ , never said I wasn't attracted to anyone here."

"Who is it? Piermont?"

"Fuck no."

"Spyro?"

"No."

"Terrias?"

"Negative."

"Rapid?"

"Yeah right."

"Who is it?"

"Not important."

"Well now you got me curious, man."

"My sex life isn't any of your business, Alex. Regardless of how much you think we should be a part of yours."

"Ow, that hurts my feelings," and the Commander feigned a frown.

Jazz smirked, "Good, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"You sure you ain't hot for me?" Alex grinned.

"I'm sure...why do you keep asking? Are you?" the rabbit snapped back.

"Aw, _hell_ naw, I ain't gay."

"Not gay, but you are bi, aren't you? Especially given your past with Piermont."

"I claim sexual curiosity, not attraction, through all that."

"What about Spyro?"

Alex shrugged, "There were a few times—long before I ever met Ruby—that I admit I was...curious. But it was like a one-off, brief crush thing."

"Sapphire?"

"No attraction there either, play for dominance."

"But you still went for it...although I must ask, were you on top or bottom?"

"Hell do you think?"

"Surprise Sapphire would capitulate to you so easily."

"Yeah, well...Ruby strong-armed him, she's good like that."

"What about you and Terrias?"

Alex chuckled, "Well...eh...that's complicated."

"C'mon, can't be that hard to explain. You two fuckbuddies or not?"

"I thought you didn't care about my sex life?"

"You got me curious, asshole."

The Commander chuckled.

"Besides, you kept pressing me, so I'm going to return the favor...what's between you and Terrias?"

"Friends... _good_ friends. We're not lovers, just friends..."

"...With benefits?"

"No, just friends."

"You're lying."

"No I'm not."

"I can tell."

"It's complicated, a'ight? That's all I can really say to describe it."

"C'mon, nobody's gonna say anything if you like a little side of cock every once in awhile...probably pretty natural when you're surrounded by guys all the time. Even less surprising if we're talking Terrias, given your affinity for beings of a more...reptilian nature."

"It's complicated, I'll leave it at that. _I_ don't even know where we lie on the bromance thing anymore."

"Well, I have the queerest feeling...pun _very_ intended, that you and he might have a bit of fan support."

"Shut up, man," Alex replied, looking away.

"Hell, if _Alexander Vaughn_ would relish in any sort of boy love, I feel like it would be with Terrias."

"...Did you seriously just make a _yaoi_ joke?"

"We are in Japan," Jazz chuckled, "The perverse carnal appetite capital of the world. Besides," he straightened in his seat, leaning back, "I happen to like _yaoi_...and _yuri_ , a little _shota_ on the side isn't half bad either."

"Of course you do."

"You could probably find some interesting _hentai_ that tickles your fancy here. Remind me to take you down to a couple of shops before we leave."

"C'mon, man...really?"

"Yes, really. I'm sure you can find _something_ , Japan loves sexual freedom..." Jazz examined him for a few moments, "Maybe something involving a harem, lemon, or _yuri_ , possibly even some _loli_. You look like you'd want something with either _moe_ or _tsundere_ -types."

"Seriously, dude?"

"Yes, actually. Gimme a chance, eh? I'll even buy you the first batch of books. You can read them, and if you find it interesting, well there you go. If not..." he shrugged, "Burn them for warmth. What are some fetishes you have?"

Alex opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Ruby who sat up with a yawn, stretching and saying, "I can tell you that...why?"

"Going to introduce your mate to some _hentai_ or _eroge_ while we're here, see what sticks."

"Ooh, sounds interesting."

"Hell, you can come with us, I'm sure we can find something for you, too...spice up your sex lives a bit."

"Sounds fun...I've always been curious about some tentacle _hentai_."

"Really, Ruby?" Alex groaned.

"Why not?" she shrugged, "Can't hurt anything, can it?"

"Fuckin' hell..."

"It's a date then," the human-form rabbit grinned, then to the silenced Commander, "Relax, Alex, you'll thank me later, I guarantee it."

"I'll pick you up something if you don't come with," Ruby replied with a mischievous grin, "And it might not be something you like."

"Ruby, sometimes you irritate the shit out of me."

She cuddled against his chest, grinning widely, "And that's why you love me."

The lights slowly turned on as the intercom buzzed and the pilot announced that they were closing in on the airport. Picking up, reorganizing, and putting away his things, Alex stood up in the aisle to stretch, and Jazz asked, "So how are we gonna get those weapons?"

"I'll get 'em, don't worry."

"What if someone catches them?"

"They won't, trust me."

Alex was the first one off the plane, and he quickly raced down the tunnel, pausing at the open doorway heading down to the tarmac where the workers were offloading luggage. Glancing around to ensure no one was around, he slipped outside, quickly descending the steps and following the carousel to where three men were chattering back and forth with each other, loading luggage onto the carousel from the cargo hold. The Commander quietly sneaked up to them, and beginning to glow a light brown, he hovered his hands over the heads of the nearest two. They suddenly fell silent, standing erect and dropping what they were carrying. Instantly, the third worker was alerted, but before he had a chance to raise an alarm, Alex swiftly slithered to him, hover his open palm over the man's face, watching as his eyes opened wide, his pupils shrank, and he adopted a blank stare. "There is nothing suspicious about the black bag in the back, send it up," he replied firmly, hastily making his way back up the stairs into the tunnel, ensuring no one was around to notice. His men waited patiently just inside the terminal, and he passed them a thumbs up before heading back to the carousel.

He didn't know how long he could exert his mental influence over them, it depended on how strong their own minds were. Given that they were nothing more than airport employees, just trying to finish the shift so they could go home, they almost surely lacked the knowledge to recognize that he had temporarily indoctrinated them. Eventually the effect would wear off and they would be none-the-wiser, he just hoped it didn't wear off until they were far away from the terminal with their weapons. When his bags finally arrived, he nodded for Jazz and Eli to come to him. They all took one of the three bags, rejoining their men and heading through the busy, bustling airport towards security. "Piece of cake," Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, we ain't outta the woods yet, Commander," Eli whispered, "Don't get cocky yet."

Once they circumvented the security checkpoint and headed towards the door, they paused in their tracks as two security guards, both with dogs, patrolled the lines. "Shit..." Alex breathed.

"I got this," Jazz replied, handing his bag to Alex and quickly jogging towards the guards, faintly glowing brown. He crouched beside the dogs, speaking to them as if they were babies and petting their bodies, shortly before the guards, with startled exclamations in rapid Japanese, shoved him back, and he responded...also in Japanese, before hurrying back to the group, "Dogs neutralized," the human-form rabbit said, allowing Alex to hand him back his bag.

"Since when did you learn how to speak Japanese?"

Jazz chuckled, "I watch a lot of anime, and _hentai_ is more...handy...than simply just for working one out. You'd know if you'd try to get involved with it."

"I thought we were taking him to a store before we leave?" Ruby said, wearing a grin.

"Oh yeah," the rabbit replied, and Eli only shook his head towards them confused, while the rest of the group was too engrossed in the beautiful, scenic view of the city at night outside the massive airport windows to notice the conversation.

"Long story," Alex sighed.

"Don't care to hear it," Eli replied, walking ahead of them. As the unit continued towards the revolving doors leading out of the terminal, Alex's eyes never parted from the dogs, who briefly stiffened, turning to face him, before their handlers managed to get them moving again. Finally passing through the revolving doors, Alex's party stopped just outside, finding themselves in a busy crosswalk. He craned his head to the sky, a steady, cold rain fell from the red-brown, nighttime skies, alight with city lights. The rain matted his long hair to his head, but he said nothing, enjoying the rain over the snow that they were so used to in the Gothics.

"Sam secured us a ride, right?" Rocket asked, "Or we gotta get that ourselves?"

"There should be a rental place down the street a couple of blocks..." Alex said, "Other than that, we're getting the ride ourselves."

"When can we arm up?" Scarlet asked, the human-form red fox trotting alongside Rocket—her boyfriend, "I don't like being naked."

"When we get into the car," Alex replied, "We'll sort everything else...just remember we're trying to keep a low profile, so keep your weapons hidden."

"Fine," Scarlet grunted, sticking a wad of chewing gum into her mouth.

"Chill out, Scar," Rocket said, the human-form raccoon throwing an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

As they walked down the brightly lit streets, Jazz elbowed Alex, "Check it out," and he pointed to a nearby facade, the windows in the storefront lined with manga, the front set apart by a large, neon sign depicting a green-haired anime girl with bright, pink eyes clad in a maid's uniform.

"Fuck you," Alex snarled, but the human-form rabbit only chuckled.

Once they secured their car, Eli—the only one with a driver's license—took the wheel, with Alex typing the coordinates of the hotel they were staying at into the GPS. The city lights were blinding, countless colors and shades of colors reflecting off the soaking wet, asphalt streets. Skyscrapers towered into the night sky around them, and innumerable people wandered by, the streets busier than the Commander had ever seen before—even busier than walking down Times Square during peacetime, at rush hour, on a Friday night.

"Why are there so many fuckin' people!?" Alex, riding shotgun with Ruby curled against him, both sharing the seat, exclaimed with a bitter scowl. He rolled down the passenger window and lighting a cigarette using a flame he produced in the palm of his hand.

"Welcome to the number one biggest metropolis in the world," Jazz responded, "I'm gonna be honest, I've always wanted to visit this place."

"Yeah, well we ain't here for vacation," Rocket spat. He was squeezed into the van's middle seat with Scarlet, Jazz, Shahvee, and Kira—all of them in their natural forms again. Only Kira was inattentive to the scenery around her, leaning against the wall with her head on the rainy, misty window, sleeping, "We're here to find this Akumi chick and hightail it back to the States."

"I'm going to enjoy my time here while I can," the rabbit snarled, "It's not every day where I'm getting paid to visit the place I've always wanted to...without handing over a single penny in expenses."

"Hope you brought souvenir money," Alex replied, looking out the window and taking a drag of his cigarette, "'Cause we're not paying for anything extra...we don't have the cash available, not until we get New Alexandria back anyway."

"How did you manage to pay for all of this anyway?" Ruby asked, eyes absolutely alight, captivated by the astonishing sights around her, "I thought our bank was in New Alexandria?"

"It is," Alex replied, "But you _really_ think I'm gonna store all of our money in the city? We have like five offshore accounts, Alpha Company alone has two Swiss bank accounts: one for private, anonymous donors and private contractors for the little mercenary work we sometimes do...and get paid a pretty penny _to_ do, the other for our allies to pay the protection tax into. I just don't like diving into those funds because they're for emergencies."

"Cheap son of a bitch."

"Hey, with the expenses of living, that money goes by quickly. If you're worried about not having any souvenir money, don't window shop..." and the Commander smirked, "Or think about buying me fuckin' porn."

Jazz laughed, "Oh, I'm still buying you some books, I already promised I would."

"Fucking..."

"I'm actually kind of excited," Ruby replied, "I've always wanted to buy some things..." she blushed, "But I've always been kinda embarrassed to."

"Don't worry, Ruby," Jazz began, clapping her on the back, "I can think of quite a few things you'll probably like, and there's so many different kinds of things out there, I _know_ that even _Alex_ will find something that intrigues him."

The Commander only sighed.

"What's this you keep talking about with buying _hentai_?" Eli asked.

"I've decided to take advantage of our time here and introduce Ruby and Alex to some of Japan's finest erotica. Because I'm such a nice guy and want to help spice up these tired lovers' sex life."

"Isn't the fact that the Commander is fucking a dolphin spicy enough?"

"Even that gets old after awhile, I'm sure," Jazz chuckled.

Flicking the butt of his cigarette out the window, Alex rolled it up and swore, "Fuck you, Jazz."

"What's _hentai_?" Shahvee asked, she was the only one of the _Nighthawks—_ all having returned to their humans forms—not riding in the back seat. She was also the only one of her team not sleeping, with the rest of the _Nighthawks_ suffering from jet lag.

"You don't want to know," Alex replied, turning to face the Argonian.

"It's porn," Rocket replied, "Japanese porn."

"Yeah, that," the Commander said off-handedly, turning back in his seat to lean against the door and look out the window at the bustling, colorful city rolling by outside. Ruby leaned in closer to him, burying her head in his chest and caressing his upper leg and thigh.

"I'm curious to see some of this _hentai_ then," the female, anthropomorphic lizard said.

"I'll loan you a couple of my older books," Jazz said, "Gonna get some new ones while I'm here. If you like them, then you can come with Ruby, Alex, and I to go shopping before we head back home."

"You brought your porn?" Alex snorted.

"I brought all my manga, not just my _hentai_ ," Jazz replied, "And a couple of my animes...figured we'd be spending a lot of time in the hotel room."

"Dude, we're in the heart of fucking Japan, hell we're _in_ Anime Central, I don't think you needed to bring any DVDs or books with you."

Jazz shrugged, then after several moments of silence, asked, "Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah?" she sleepily asked.

"You ever seen any _anime_?"

"No."

"I think you'd like some...I'll show you a few of my favorites, and if you're interested, we can go shopping for some that may interest you...I need to find some more to watch anyway," then to Alex, "I have more than erotic ones, before you say anything."

"Fucking anime."

"What's wrong with it?"

"I hate it."

"Have you ever tried watching it?"

"Sarah tried to get me into several different ones a few times...wasn't interested."

"You just need to find the right ones."

"Not interested."

"Well you're boring."

"Bite me."

Eli finally pulled into the multi-tiered parking lot adjacent to their hotel, waking up everyone in the car and clambering out into the cold, windy night. Everyone taking on human forms once again, they grabbed their bags, waiting for Fox to pull into the lot behind them. "Was wondering when you'd show up," Alex called to the doctor, climbing out of the vehicle along with his civilian wife and three kids, ages seventeen, fourteen, and ten respectively. They had arrived separately, with the doctor deciding to take his family on an early vacation, as they were planning on coming to Tokyo in mid-October anyway.

"Well, my plane got delayed, then we had a hold-up getting a rental. Oh, and guys, I'd like you to meet my wife, Trish."

"Good to see you," she said with a smile and a nod, "Heard a lot about you, glad to finally meet you all." She had a small build, was only a few inches above four feet in height, and had large, youthful brown eyes and long, straightened brown hair.

"Nice to meet you," Alex replied, the others in his group replying similarly.

"These are my boys," Fox began, introducing them from oldest to youngest, "Ben, Ronnie, and Glenn."

"Nice to meet you three," Alex replied, but the boys all shied away from him.

"They're...a little shy," Fox replied, and helping his wife grab the remaining bags, he turned to face Alex again, asking, "So what rooms do we have?"

"We're kinda scattered across all the floors between here and the hotel next door," Alex replied, pointing towards the glass-walled, thirty-floor skyscraper across the street, connected to a twin tower across the intersection by two covered skybridges, one at approximately the tenth floor, the second on the approximate twentieth, "But that's what happens when you rent last minute...least we're within walking distance of a lot of shops and things to do, plus it's a four star hotel...so not bad."

"Thanks again for reserving everything for us," Fox said, "I appreciate it."

"No problem," Alex replied, "Just promise me you'll keep an eye on my girl," and the Commander, who's arm was around a still-human-form Ruby's waist, pulled her closer to him.

"Of course."

"Are you...Ruby?" Trish asked.

The human-form dolphin nodded, "Yes."

"She's in a human form right now," Fox said, and the dolphin nodded with a shy grin and a blush.

"Ah, okay...that makes sense..." and Trish nodded towards the girl, "How far along are you?"

"Five months," the human-form dolphin replied with a warm smile, glancing lovingly towards her mate. Alex returned this, kissing her forehead, and she buried her head in his shoulder.

"Aww, that's so sweet!"

"Sorry to interrupt," Eli began, grunting as he tossed two of the three gun bags over his shoulder, "But can we save the introductions and get out of this damn rain first? It's cold out here."

The group passed through the revolving door into the lavish lobby of the hotel. A brilliant red carpet was laid out to create a path around the hemispherical reception desk, forking there to head towards one of the two curved staircases that led up to the lofted first floor. The lobby was entirely open, and Alex craned his head, spying the steel beams supporting the hotel's roof several hundred feet up. The wall facing the street was made almost entirely of glass, allowing a clear view of the traffic passing by outside, with a few small, potted ferns and palms dotting the perimeter. To the right of the door facing in, were several arcade machines, including a dancing game, in addition to a trio of vending machines: a coffee and cappuccino dispenser, a soda machine, and a snack machine. The wall upon which they were against was textured to resemble a stone cliffside, stretching up fifty feet before giving way to more windows that spanned the rest of the wall up to the ceiling. Adjacent to this entertainment area was a hall winding off towards a restaurant and bar—currently closed—storage rooms, and other various staff offices, as well as an escalator heading to an underground passage that ran beneath the street—lined with other food and souvenir kiosks—to ascend back to the surface on the opposite side where the second tower of the hotel was. To the left of the door was a matching textured wall, only this one had water running down its surface from dispensers near the top of where the fake cliffside met the windows stretching to the ceiling. This water then trickled down the wall to gather into a shallow, hemispherical koi pond, where four of the colorful fish swam around. The floor _not_ covered by the carpet was made of a clean-white marble tile, and the walls were painted a brilliant gold, the floorboards painted a rich mahogany.

While Eli checked them in, Alex paused in the doorway to glance around at the scenery. Ruby paused beside him, wrapping her small hand, skin as soft as a newborn baby's, around his right hand, "Holy shit..." the Commander began in awe, "This place is fucking _gorgeous_."

"There's an atrium around the back," Ruby said, "We're definitely going to see that tomorrow...a _real_ Japanese garden."

"It's enclosed?"

She nodded, "From outside, it looked like it's all indoors."

"Damn, son."

Ruby winked at him, "Perhaps we can have a little honeymoon here, someday?"

Alex chuckled, "Perhaps we can," and he kissed her mouth.

Eli whistled at them, and Alex barely had time to react as the older man tossed the Commander's room's two keycards at him. With eerie finesse, the Commander caught the cards in mid-air with his bionic hand, slipping the small envelope into his pocket and walking to where the rest of the group sat on one of the various leather couches and chairs situated in one corner of the lobby, adjacent to the koi pond.

"Good news," Eli began, clapping and rubbing his hands together, "We're all on either the twenty-second or twenty-third floors, so we're not _that_ far apart from each other."

"North or South tower?" Alex asked.

"Both...should say on that envelope I gave ya."

Alex fished it out of his pocket, squinting at the small label attached to it. Printed in small, English lettering beneath the Japanese text was 'S2377'. "Hell does this mean?" the Commander asked.

"South tower—that's this one—room 2377, so probably, I'd imagine, on the twenty-third floor."

"Everybody signed in?" 

"Rog, now let's get up there and get some sleep, we got a big day tomorrow, and it's late."

"What time?" and Alex checked his phone, reading just after two in the morning, "Oh hell."

"Let's go," Eli said, clapping Alex's back, "Two bodies per room, looks like Sam gave you and Ruby the lover's suite."

The Commander chuckled, "I'm fine with that."

"Not surprised...figured _you_ set it up."

Alex let himself into the room, holding the door open for his mate, who shyly stepped inside, glancing around. Only once the Commander had shut and locked the door behind them did Ruby return to her natural form, indeed they were well off here. Just passed the room's door was a small living room-like chamber, with a leather couch, a bamboo coffee table, and a television. Alex slid open the Shoji doors, stepping into the room beyond, and his jaw dropped. The bedroom was massive and open with a gorgeous view that overlooked the plaza outside. The king-sized bed was fixed to a raised platform in the heart of the room, and to their immediate left, a large hot-tub, large enough to fit a small group of people, was set into the floor. To the right was a full kitchen, in addition to a door that led to a spacious bathroom. The bedroom was decorated in an ancient Japanese flair, taking them back to feudal Japan in its appearance. Throwing his bags onto the bed, Alex approached the floor-to-ceiling window, staring outside. He could see for miles, the rain-soaked city outside his window glowing with life, and the immense plaza still bustling with people, even at this hour. The Commander was stunned speechless, never before had he seen something more beautiful...the stunning view of New Alexandria from his private balcony atop Club Camelot was _nothing_ compared to this.

He was startled from his paralysis by Ruby appearing behind him, closing her fins over his chest and resting her chin on his shoulder, "Isn't this beautiful?" he asked.

"It's romantic," the dolphin replied, shyly blushing.

Alex grinned back, "Indeed it is, and it's just us...no one else."

She nodded, "Yes..." and for several minutes, the two remained that way, looking out over the city together. Eventually, Ruby asked, "Let's go to bed, huh?" and she guided him to the spacious bed, crawling into it and laying on her side, presenting herself to him. She smiled coyly towards him, asking in a small voice, "Mate with me?"

He undressed and climbed into bed beside her, "You aren't tired from the trip?" he asked, flipping out the lights with a clap, thrusting the room in the deep blue glow from the city lights outside, shining through the slightly tinted windows.

"I am..." she replied, "But I'm horny..."

"We stay up any later, and we won't be able to wake up early tomorrow."

"I'm fine with that," she replied sheepishly, "We probably won't do anything for a couple of days anyway, at least until everyone gets over jet lag. Alex, this is probably the most romantic thing we've ever done together, the most romantic thing we might _ever_ do...what do you say that you and I make this time we have together special? Who knows when we'll ever be able to have this much privacy...or this gorgeous of scenery again?"

After several minutes, Alex grinned, shrugging, "Okay, you've convinced me," and Ruby squealed in delight, pouncing upon her human mate and covering him in kisses. Her body was incredibly warm to the touch, the extent of her arousal so evident that she was nearly dripping fluids onto his bare waist from her open genitals, demanding to be explored and filled by him. He kissed her back, holding her in his arms, and in the light of the lively city outside, they reaffirmed their love, still as strong as ever. They stretched out their session for as long as they could manage, and when they finally reached their climaxes, timed almost perfectly to one another, it was the most powerful either had experienced, enough so that Ruby squealed and squeaked loudly and uncontrollably, her high squeaks shifting and sliding pitch like moans and gasps for breath, accompanying each spastic pulsation of her wet and swollen-open genitals milking at him, each uncontrollable thrust of her searing-hot, blood-red belly against his. On top of all of this, he could feel her teats, erect and swollen from pregnancy: extremely hot, tiny, rock-hard marbles jutting from the pouches to either side of her slit and poking against his waist. Even the Commander, normally silent in the throes of passion, couldn't contain a small grunt and a gasp for breath at the sheer intensity of the pleasure he shared with his mate, by far more powerful than anything else he had experienced before...even when compared to their initial consummation in the moonlight of that Illinoisan lake so many years ago. The intensity of their pleasure allowed them both to go again soon after, and by the time they finally drifted to sleep in each others arms, the first rays of sunlight had begun to shine through their bedroom windows. Even in their dreams, they were together, as their physical proximity to one another, and their mutations, allowed them to share a pleasant dream with each other, one that starred only them and no one else. Indeed, these two lovers were happier and more satisfied in the comforting arms and privacy of each other than they had ever been, for as long as they had been together.

The next day, Alex summoned everyone into his room. With Ruby occupied by watching the animes that Jazz had loaned her, the Commander held conference with the rest of his team, discussing their rough plan of attack. "Okay, so this boarding school is on the outskirts of the city, a few miles outside of the prefecture, in the wilderness. Area is mostly isolate from the pictures that I've seen...our task for today is to scout it out, see if there's somewhere we can enter from without arousing suspicion, and hopefully we can find and grab the target without alerting the whole premise until long after we're out of the area."

"When are we goin' down to explore?" Eli asked.

"Tonight, after nightfall...at least, that's the plan."

"Have any rough plan on when we're going to attack?" Jazz asked.

"Preferably never, since I just want to get in there, bag our target, and get the hell out of dodge, no questions, no suspicions, they'll probably just think she ran away again."

"Fine, smartass, when's the plan to extract her?"

"Not sure yet, we'll know as soon as we map everything out."

The door suddenly slammed open and Kira entered the room, carrying food with help from Shahvee. "Shit's expensive here," the harpy growled, not even bother to have taken on a human form.

"You in your natural form the whole time?"

"Yeah, you gotta remember, dumbass, we're in Japan, the land of otakus and weaboos that dress up as stupid shit all the time."

"Yknow, you're culturally savvy given Avione's supposed isolation," Eli grunted.

"I learn things...so what's so damn important about this bitch again?"

"Vergil's after her...reason unknown, but if Vergil doesn't want her alive, _we_ do."

"Why?" Kira asked, grinning smugly, "So you got _another_ girl to fuck?"

"Dude, she's like fifteen," Alex scowled, "'Sides, I'm not into humans."

"Right, right...you're into everything else."

"Shut up."

"No you, dumbass," and Kira hopped onto the top of a couch sitting in front of the window, peering outside at the cityscape while she ate.

"Anyway," Alex continued, "This first time we'll just make sure to scout out the area, map any entrances and exits, try to identify any potential escape routes that will allow us to get away if something happens. Once we have a plan, we'll divide into our teams for the actual assault."

Ruby suddenly gasped and all eyes turned to face the dolphin, staring at the television screen, covering her mouth in shock at the events going on the show she watched. Returning to the conversation, Alex only shook his head with a sigh, with Jazz saying, "Anyway..."

"Anyway, that's about all I got for now...guess we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever the fuck we want."

"Sounds good to me," Jazz chuckled.

"Dismissed," and as the group separated, Alex turned to face Ruby again, still engrossed in her cartoon, before walking to where Kira lay, staring out over the city while idly sharpening her spear. "Culture shock?"

"Nah..." she replied, "Gorgeous view."

"Indeed it is."

"Bet Ruby likes it, huh?" the harpy nodded towards the dolphin, "Or is she too busy watching that stupid show over there."

"She's noticed it a few times, she decided that it would be nice to mate before such a view...I was afraid she'd get vertigo, I know I sure did."

Kira chuckled, "Keep your girl happy, even if it doesn't do much for you, that's all I can say."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you happy?"

She shrugged, her mischievous grin slowly fading into a neutral expression, "Better than I was back home anyway, so I'm not complaining."

"You sure?"

"Yeah? Why do you care? Thought what we did was something you only did cause you were forced and ignorant?" although she said this bitterly, she wore a sly grin.

"Because I still feel kinda bad about that."

"Don't, it was my fault..." but as she said this, it was barely audible, then her voice stronger, "Should have told you what to expect...we normally do."

"Then why didn't you?"

She shrugged, "Maybe I was worried you'd try to take advantage of me if you knew who I was and what the Proving would ultimately lead to. As I've told you, I don't like being used as a tool or a toy...especially after what happened to Sis. I was concerned that you would try to do the same to me."

"I basically did..."

"Yeah, but you did so from a position of ignorance, dumbass," she smiled at him, "So it's a little more forgivable."

"Still, I took you as a mate and kinda damned you to a life of chastity."

"Y'know, not _every_ girl wants to have sex all the time...or even really at all. You just have a peculiar scenario with Ruby, and to a lesser extent, Cyn. I, for one, I don't care, I'm easy to please if I like you, which, lucky for you, dumbass, I happen to do. Would a sneaky little kiss or an 'I love you' every once in awhile hurt? Nah, but I don't like fakers, and I know that you ain't legit. This is all on me."

"Sorry."

"Man, stop apologizing all the time, goddamn...you just make it awkward."

"Well, talk to me if something ever crosses your mind."

"Why? Are _you_ horny or something?"

"No, but we don't really get a chance to chat in private very often, just wanted to make sure that everything's okay."

"Everything's fine...'sides, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble anyway. You already got a handful with Cyn and Ruby."

"Well, I can always try to make some room for you, too."

"No need, I'm all good."

Without another word, Alex turned to walk away.

" _However_ , if you had some spare time while we're here, when you're _not_ busy doing something—or someone—else," she shrugged with a mischievous grin. "If you _really_ wanted to, and you _really_ tried, you could probably seduce me successfully...but I wouldn't admit it...oh, and I didn't say anything, dumbass, so don't get any ideas."

The Commander, understanding her 'subtle' suggestion with a grin and a nod, walked over to the kitchen, searching for utensils to eat his quickly-cooling lunch with.

Alex, Eli, Kira, Jazz, Rocket, and Scarlet climbed into their rental, Eli starting it up and pulling out of his spot. The _Nighthawks_ and Fox were staying back at the hotel with Ruby, who was still watching her anime marathon, while the rest of the group headed towards the boarding school. The sky was overcast, thunder bellowed distantly, and a light drizzle of rain began to fall from the heavens. Alex, riding shotgun, lit a cigarette, peering out his window at the approaching storm rolling down from the mountains in the distance.

"Wonder what kinda trouble we'll find ourselves in," Jazz began, also looking out the window.

"Who says we'll run into trouble?" Kira asked.

"Because we _always_ do...even when things seems like they shouldn't cause problems."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes," Alex replied, "Murphy's Law loves to shit on us."

"Murphy's Law?"

"If it can go wrong, it _will_ go wrong," Rocket smirked, shaking his head, "Well that's just fantastic."

"We're pretty much expecting shit to go wrong, even in the simplest mission anymore," Jazz sighed, "It's ridiculous."

Just as Eli turned a corner, police sirens came on, and peering in the rearview mirror, Eli swore as he slowed to a stop and the cruiser pulled him over. Two cops stepped out of the vehicle, approaching theirs, and as Alex watched them, he noticed they walked strangely, almost stiffly. Eli continued swearing and snapping beneath his breath, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong. The cops finally stopped in front of either side of the car. "Jazz, tell 'em we don't speak Japanese."

"You're a long way from home, Messorem," one of the cops said in almost perfect English, and chills shot down Alex's back.

"I'm sorry...what?"

"Where is Vitam?" the cop snarled, "Where is Deitus?"

"Eli..." Alex began, and in a swift, fluid motion, the older man leaned back, just as Alex lobbed a ball of fire towards the one in front of the driver' side door. He recoiled and hissed, screeching animalistically, and a group of _shadow-knights_ crawled out of the ground, "DRIVE!" Alex roared, and without another second of hesitation, Eli hammered onto the gas, squealing tires burning rubber and sending of plumes of smoke before rocketing ahead, running down several _shadow-knights_ that had crawled out of the ground in front of them. As he charged into an intersection, a semi laid onto the horn, and he barely had time to react before the big truck clipped the hood of their van, spinning and spiraling them out of control, through a hydrant, and into the brick wall of a building. Water sprayed like a jet from the busted hydrant, showering through the shattered back windows onto the dazed Alpha Company.

"Wake up!" Jazz roared, shaking Alex awake, "We're surrounded! Get up!"

Groaning into alertness, ears ringing, vision blurred, the Commander touched his sensitive head, burning with a furious heat, pulling his numb hand away to see it was painted red in blood.

"You'll be okay, mate!" Jazz snapped, healing his wounds before moving onto the next member of the unit.

Peering outside the window, Alex watched as dozens of enthralled civilians and police officers approached them. "We need to move!" Jazz roared, " _NOW!_ "

Shaking his dizziness away, blue sparks of healing dancing across his body, Eli tried to start up the car again, sighing with relief when it finally roared to life. "GO!" Jazz exclaimed, reaching beneath his seat to hastily assemble his Barrett M82, taking shots through his busted window at the approaching thralls. The engine sputtered uneasily, threatening to give out at any moment, and Alex only prayed that they could get away before the vehicle died on them completely. Pulling off a u-turn, Eli raced past the group, preparing to give chase, "This isn't good!" Alex exclaimed, "Where the _fuck_ did they all come from!?"

"Probably after the girl," Eli spat, "Same as us."

"Well she can wait, we don't have the resources to take on an entire fucking army!"

"She's our only lead to stopping Vergil," Jazz replied, leaning in the backseat, sniping at pursuing drivers.

"I don't give a flying fuck!" Alex roared, "The safety of my men is more important than the life of this girl!"

"So we're just gonna retreat _again_!?" Kira exclaimed, "First the Archreaper's Legion, now this? I thought you were some badass soldier who could take on the world single-handedly."

"I'm nothing without my men!" the Commander roared, "And most of them are back in the fucking Gothics, listening to the insane preachings of some goddamn, religious lunatic, and plotting how to kill my girlfriend!"

Taking a break from her binge-watching, Ruby headed down to the nightclub on the floor below, curious to see what the Japanese nightlife was like. As she passed through the doors into the large, open room, illuminated in a bright shade of red and lined with neon, she could see that it was packed wall-to-wall with young adults, raving to J-Pop. Most of the room was overtaken by a colorful dance floor, with a starfield-design carpet surrounding it, and a large bar along one wall serving colorful drinks. The room was about twenty to thirty feet tall, with the DJ's equipment sitting on a raised platform at the opposite end of the room from the door, about ten feet off the ground. Darkened, slanted-in windows lined the upper ten feet of the perimeter walls, connecting them to the ceiling, and a young woman was singing karaoke at the head of the dance floor, standing against the base of the DJ's platform.

The human-form dolphin grinned widely, enjoying the tunes playing over the massive speakers dotting the room's perimeter, she gathered a drink and made her way towards where the singer stood, wanting to try her hand at it.

Alex and Eli rushed into the hotel lobby, the rest of their group in tow, "Outta my way!" Alex roared, shoving his way past other tourists standing in the lobby and hurriedly making his way towards the elevator. It seemed they had lost _Filios Diaboli_ for now, but he didn't know how long that would last. Once they had reached their floor, Alex hastily ran towards his room, letting himself inside and bursting through the door, "Ruby!? Where are you? We've been compromised!"

When nothing answered him in the darkened room, he flipped on the lights and raced into the center, rapidly turning around.

"Ruby? _RUBY!?_ "

Jazz rushed up to him, handing him a crudely-written letter she had made, leaving on the table, "She's downstairs in the nightclub."

"Nightclub?"

"Yeah, there's one on the floor below."

"Shit!" Alex scowled, hurrying out the door and heading back towards the stairs. He paused, however, upon coming across the dark windows set into an angular wall between the floor and the roof. Colorful lights were barely shining through, and he could just make out countless people dancing through the tinted glass. "Down there?" he asked.

Jazz nodded, and the Commander's party split up as they headed back to their rooms to pack their things. Alex remained in place for several moments, watching the rave through the tinted windows, trying to find Ruby. "Messorem..." a voice chuckled from behind, and as Alex snapped around, he was took a punch to the head by an enthralled cop, standing over him. He pedaled back, climbing onto his feet and getting into a fighting stance, ducking beneath another punch thrown by the thrall and countering with an uppercut into the creature's jaw.

"You know," Alex snarled, "You bastards are _really_ pissing me off!"

Ruby shyly took the microphone when her time had come, aware that a medium-sized group of dancers were staring at her with puzzled glances. Could they see through her disguise? The human-form dolphin was inexplicable worried about the sudden attention, although most of the club didn't care about the karaoke side of it...unless she was really that bad at singing...there was still quite an audience waiting patiently for her to start, and _they were all staring_.

She was startled when the next song began, and she glanced up towards one of the televisions mounted to the ceiling, reading out the lyrics for the performer in two formats: _kanji_ and English pronunciations of the Japanese words. Upon revealing the song's title, called _Candy Candy_ , and hearing the intro, the dolphin couldn't help but to recall seeming to have heard it from somewhere prior, and as the first verse began, she proceeded to sing along, manipulating her voice to imitate something like she had heard on those animes, a tactic that she had seen Alex sometimes use when he felt like singing along to a song he liked, enabling him to sound eerily like the song's performer. As she sang along, she noticed the crowd that gathered around her grinning, seemingly satisfied with her performance, and they all began to dance, singing along. Giving a breath of relief that she seemed to be doing fairly well, she found herself becoming more confident as it progressed her voice stronger, until she was singing at full volume, fully engrossed in the performance she gave. She was even beginning to dance herself, jumping and spinning in place, eyes closed as she recalled the song from memory—she _had_ heard it before, she just didn't know where—and she wore a wide, silly smile on her face.

The two unaware of each others' current states, Alex clashed with the enthralled cop. The song was loud, one he had heard in one of the animes Ruby had been watching, and he could hear it quite clearly from his position up here...it didn't help that the singer herself seemed fully involved in the song, with a startlingly powerful voice. With a roar, the cop tossed a punch Alex's way, but the commander caught his fist, twisting it around behind his back, grabbing the back of the creature's head, and slamming it into the window, cracking the glass. The possessed officer not even stunned by the impact, he ducked beneath a punch thrown by the Commander, swiping Alex's feet from beneath him and knocking the young man to the ground with a grunt. The cop tore Alex's knife from his belt, swinging at the Commander, who ducked and dodged each swipe and stab, finally catching a thrust from the thrall on his bionic arm. The thrall repeatedly stabbed at him, but Alex held the blade against his bionic arm, watching as the furious cop tried to saw through the steel limb. The Commander finally bashed the officer's face with his arm, _this_ succeeding in stunning the thrall, and Alex kicked him in the chest, knocking him back against the glass.

Alex was soon on top of the officer, punching continuously towards the enthralled cop, but his foe managed to block most of his attacks, and the rest did little to stun or daze him. Just as Alex was about to punch once more, the cop grabbed his collar, pulling the Commander towards him to butt heads—which dazed Alex—before throwing him against the wall. Picking himself up and recovering from the painful blow with a shake of the head, the enthralled officer growled, grabbing Alex by his collar once again and throwing him into the window, pouncing upon him and punching repeatedly. Each attempt to dodge or block the attacks were met with a quick reach-around by the thrall, still connecting his punches. Finally, Alex managed to block a rapid series of blows from his foe with his bionic arm, but the officer only grabbed the limb, slamming it into the glass and thrusting Alex's knife through the Commander's prosthetic with enough force to impale it to the steel window frame. As Alex tried to tear his trapped limb free, the thrall continued hammering on him, dazing the Commander even further.

Ruby jumped in place, smiling as widely as ever, her eyes closed in complete ecstasy. By now, the ravers were dancing along with her, many of them imitating her, and the dolphin was in a state of bliss. She loved this song, it was possibly her new favorite now, even, and she enjoyed the aura of enjoyment radiating off of the crowd around her. She felt like a kid, having fun for the first time in a long, _long_ time, taking breaks between verses to sip from her drink. All the while she enjoyed herself below, she was completely unaware of two silhouettes in the upper windows clashing violently.

Alex finally managed to tear his arm free, reclaiming his knife and thrusting it to the hilt into the thrall's chin, shoving the blade as deep through the bottom of his throat as possible. He ripped the blade free and the thrall stumbled back choking and gasping for breath, blood flowing from the hole in the bottom of his jaw, but before he could recover, Alex swiftly slashed horizontally, slicing the man's throat open and spewing black, oily blood onto him and the glass behind him. The Commander rolled beneath the thrall, now clutching his neck to stop the blood, squirting like a jet, from flowing. Just as the song below concluded, Alex swiftly kicked the thrall in the square of his back, knocking him forward, and the Commander, with a a roar, jumped towards him, pouncing upon the thrall and sending them both crashing through the window and down onto the floor below amid a shower of broken glass. The ravers screamed and fled, Ruby standing at the head of the crowd, head cocked to the side, jaw dropped, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"We need to go, now!" Alex roared, running to Ruby' side.

"What? What's going on? Why did you just kill that...!"

"He wasn't a cop! It was a thrall!"

"They found us!?"

"That's what I just said, now c'mon!"

He helped the dolphin onto her feet, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the exit. Enthralled cops, integrated cleanly with unsuspecting _normal_ cops rushed towards the door, weapons drawn, and began to fire towards the duo.

"We ain't goin' that way!" Alex spat, quickly scanning the environment for somewhere to go before his eyes fell upon the window facing the street, "Hold on, Ruby!" he exclaimed, running towards the window.

"No...no, no, no, no! We're thirty floors above the street!"

"Time for a leap of faith!" he snarled, "Cover yourself!" and he tackled the window, crashing through the glass and quickly sliding down the slanted rooftop, slippery with rain, towards a vertical drop to street level. Ruby screamed, covering her eyes, and Alex struggled to get a grip over the rapidly reducing ground sliding out beneath him. The duo finally slid off the edge, rocketing forward into the scaffolding supporting a neon sign, striking it painfully before falling down two floors onto _another_ slanted roof that continued to send them both sliding towards a massive drop. Above, the enthralled and normal police were shooting at them with automatic rifles, and Alex climbed on top of Ruby, sheltering her from the bullets before they both slid off the roof, falling down several floors until landing on an awning, remaining atop it for a few breathless seconds before it ripped beneath them and they plummeted to _another_ awning sever floors beneath _that_ , landing with enough force to send strange, electric spikes surging through Alex's body.

On street level, Jazz and the rest of Alpha Company quickly piled out of the hotel, ducking beneath a hail of gunfire from encircling cruisers, with someone rambling on in furious Japanese over a megaphone. Finally, Alex and Ruby had managed to reach the ground, falling through awnings and rooftops softening their landing considerably, leaving both trembling, but healthy. "Don't just sit there, dumbass!" Kira spat, "Let's go!" and she helped Alex and Ruby to their feet, leading them down the street, where the rest of the party was fleeing on foot, ducking beneath gunfire from the police behind them. "I see now what you meant by Murphy's Law!" Kira growled.

"Fuckin' told you so!" Alex exclaimed, out of breath.

"Oh, hell! They're comin'!" Eli shouted, sliding to a stop as several cruiser raised up the street towards them, sliding on their breaks and forming a blockade. The cops pursuing them had almost caught up by now, and Alex' s party found them under fire from both sides, pinned down. "This isn't good!"

As if by the grace of God—or something else— _shadow-knights_ crawled out of the ground in droves, trying to engage Alex's fleeing party, but distracting the startled and frightened police at the same time. Upon seeing the officers turning on their brethren, the enthralled police turned on the normal ones, and before too long, Alex and party were caught in the crossfire between the Japanese authorities and _Filios Diaboli_. With both sides distracted with each other, Jazz guided them off the rainy street and into a nearby coffeehouse and cafe, shoving his way through the thick crowd towards the back room, barreling through the door into the kitchen. The chefs responded almost instantly, some falling back, others scolding the passing unit, who charged through the door on the opposite side, finding themselves back outside, now in a back lot where employee vehicles were parked. A guttural growl reverberated through the air, and two humanoid beings leaped over a seven floor building directly in front of the unit, landing on their feet and standing between Alex's party and the alley leading back onto the street. The two creatures' eyes glowed a bright, pupiless yellow, their faces and bodies covered in dried blood, and their arms slithered and squirmed, as if dozens of insects crawled beneath the skin.

"HUNTERS!" Alex roared, "Find a way to get around them!"

Growling again, the two creatures leaped towards them, managing to reach incredible heights off the ground, thick, syrupy blood shooting from their limbs as their mutated arms burst and stretched forward to grab them. Withdrawing his knife, Alex slashed at one of the arms, severing the hand which fell limply to the ground, twitching and convulsing before melting into red sludge, which pulled to and reabsorbed with the Hunters like droplets of mercury to a puddle, and mere seconds after, red sludge stretched out from the stubbed arm like a worm, soon reforming into the amputated hand, now fully attached and functional yet again. Blood rained from their mangled arms and legs, but there was no risk for exsanguination, as the seemingly magnetic blood would soon be reabsorbed by the Hunters, who weren't fast walkers, but also weren't easily stunned. Jazz fired a clip from a SCAR-H into one of the creatures, but he paused in his place, doubling over before his skin bubbled and squirmed, with an explosion of blood and red mist, dozens of bullets were sent firing _back_ at them.

"Don't bother trying to kill them!" Alex exclaimed, "We need to get past them!"

Ruby suddenly paused in place, using her hydrokinesis to gather the rain to create a massive, torrential wave, and slamming it into the Hunters, sweeping them off of their feet and smashing them into the side of a building, then exhaling deeply to freeze the water into a large block of ice. They could see the creatures squirming beneath the thick layer, but it would be a few minutes before the creatures could get out.

"Well...that's _one_ way to do it," the Commander replied, and they returned to the street, finding _Filios Diaboli_ tangled with the police. Up ahead, military forces began to roll down the streets, clashing with the thralls and skeletal _shadow-knights_.

"This is a fucking mess..." Jazz said.

"Amen," the Commander replied, running down the street towards, cutting down enemy forces in their wake. Before too long, they found themselves at an intersection, with military approaching from the right, police approaching from the left, and _Filios Diaboli_ approaching in massive numbers from ahead. Entirely surrounded, Alex's team pulled tightly together, searching for a way to break free of the encircling enemy forces.

And then the _real_ fun began...

Explosions occurred from behind the army of hundreds of _shadow-knights_ , temporarily diverting their attention to the events behind them. Soon after, pillars of lightning tore through the heart of the army, opening an empty strip right in the middle of the street, and Alex's heart sank as a third opposing force joined the fray...

"Fucking _Sonichu_!? Are you kidding me!?" Jazz scowled, watching as the hedgehog's forces cut through the gathered _Filios Diaboli_ , now torn between the police, the military, _and_ the new arrivals...although the hedgehog himself was nowhere to be found.

"We need to get through them," Alex exclaimed, "Keep moving, hope you're ready for a fight."

"I officially think things can get _any_ worse," Jazz spat, leading the group forward towards where Sonichu's forces clashed with _Filios Diaboli_. By this point, at least, almost _no_ attention was spared to Alex and his party, as all four factions—with much greater numbers, and as such a much greater threat—turned on each other, leaving the unit to only have to worry about a few stray soldiers.

They finally paused at a relatively quiet intersection to catch their breath, looking up to see two helicopters hover into view in front of them, spotlights focusing on the party. "Fuck me..." Alex replied, collapsing onto his knees as a voice screamed at them from a megaphone. Just as they considered resigning to their fate, a blue blur leaped from a nearby skyscraper, pouncing upon one of the helicopters and sending it spiraling towards the street. The figure then leaped to the second helicopter, vanishing inside of the cockpit before taking it to a violent landing on the street. The door burst open, the pilot screamed as he was sent flying outside of the machine and onto the street, and the silhouetted figure stepped out of the vehicle, approaching them. All weapons were trained on the new arrival, before the figure held up a hand, and in a familiar voice, said, "You look like you needed some help."

"Ember?" Alex asked, sighing with relief as the blue dragoness emerged from the shadows, swiftly dodging a lunge by a _shadow-knight_ and impaling the creature on her _flamberge_ , engulfing it in flames and kicking it to the ground.

"Now let's go, before they recuperate."

"What the hell are you _doing_ here?" the Commander asked the dragon-girl.

"I should ask you the same question...now quickly, let's leave before they can recollect themselves."

"Where do we go? We're surrounded!"

The dragon-girl nodded towards the downed helicopters, "Take your pick."

Alex's unit sprinted towards the helicopter that was most intact, and while Eli started the machine up, Alex and Jazz looted the other downed machine for whatever weapons, ammunition, and other supplies they could salvage. Only once everyone was on board the commandeered vehicle did Ember hope onboard the machine, slamming the door shut and peering out as Eli ascended above the skyline, turning towards west, "It'll be much smoother if we fly over Asia and Africa...least we can pay off refueling without too many questions...Gothics are closer to the African coast than they are to South America anyway."

Leaving the city in their wake, Alex, who had been leaning against one of the doors to peer out the window, armed and ready if he had to defend the machine, finally sighed with relief and plopped down in the seat beside his exhausted mate, throwing an army around Ruby's shoulders and pulling her close. "Well that was too fucking close."

"No shit..." Jazz replied, drinking from one of the bottles of water they had looted before handing it to the Commander, who took several swigs himself before passing it back.

"You enjoy getting into trouble, don't you?" Ember chuckled, speaking for the first time since she had greeted them, sitting stoic and statuesque in her seat.

"Yeah well...what else is new," Alex smirked, and he nodded towards her, "Good to see you again. You gonna stay this time?"

"No," she replied, "But I may stay for a small while."

"Now what do we do?" Eli asked, "Not lookin' forward to heading back to Windhelm with my tail between my fuckin' legs."

"Just be glad we got outta there in one piece," Rocket chuckled, "Coulda sworn we were done for."

Alex sighed, "Yeah, 'cept I left all my shit there, and we left Fox behind."

"Don't worry," Kira said, nodding towards Alex, "I got your crap," she tossed a bag to him, "Everything's there that you brought with ya, right?"

Quickly sorting through his belongings, Alex nodded, "Thanks."

"No prob."

"Sent Fox a text," Jazz said, "Let him know the situation, he said it's fine and he'll see us as soon as we can...kinda feel like shit for trashing his vacation."

"He knew the risk," Alex replied, "That's what happens when you travel with Alpha Co..." and with an exasperated sigh, he pulled out a thick stack of newly purchased _hentai_ from his bag, still wrapped in plastic, first glaring at Jazz before turning to Kira, "You brought these, too?"

The harpy grinned mischievously, "They're yours aren't they? You horny bastard."

"God fucking damn it..."

"You're welcome," Jazz replied with a sly grin, leaning back in his seat.

"I think Ruby's are in there, too," Kira said, and Alex skimmed through his belongings once again, pulling out several books, and handing them to his mate, who happily accepted them and began to read in the dismal light of the helicopter's interior.

"Alex, you still have friends in Africa?" Jazz asked.

"Possibly, why?"

"We might want to check out this machine, get it fixed and make sure it can actually _make_ it back to the Gothics in one piece."

"We have allies in Africa?" Eli asked from the cockpit.

"Use to..." Alex sighed, "Dunno how much is left after the Reaper's attack."

"Where are they? Actually no, just guide me there when we get in the area...right now enjoy your porn."

Alex only sighed, leaning back in his chair as silence fell over the machine. After several quiet minutes, his eyes snapped to the first book in the stack, and he hesitantly picked it up, skimming through it.


	18. Chapter XVII: Hunted

_**Chapter XVII**_ **:**

 **-''Hunted''-**

 **-Above North Carolina-**

 **- _07 September 2016_ -**

 **- _0518 Hours_ -**

Alex and Eli were the only ones awake as the helicopter flew over the mountains of North Carolina, approaching the university at Coulson. As they traveled in silence, Alex kept his eyes fixed to Ruby, sleeping soundly across from him, leaning her head on the window to rest. She breathed deeply, didn't seem to be having any dreams, and he couldn't help but to smile. In the waxing light shining in through the machine, reflecting off of her sleek, gray face, she also seemed to glow with an angelic light. As he always did during these periods of pondering and deep thought, he was absolutely thrilled to have her as his friend and mate. As strange and perverse as it was, she was the pinnacle of beauty in his eyes. Everything about her attracted him, especially her personality, her coyness, her deep, unfathomable love towards her mate that she often tried to show, and he loved her deeply. They meant the world to each other, and he couldn't imagine life without her, he couldn't even believe he had lived _before_ without her there by his side.

 _Ruby..._ even her name was sweet on his lips. Here was a girl, one who wore her heart on her sleeve, who brought out the absolute best in him, who he gave strength to in exchange for pieces of her incorruptible humanity. He strengthened her, and she softened him, she kept him grounded, kept him sane. He only prayed that he would never lose her. She blinked open her eyes, casting him a warm smile, and he leaned forward, grabbing one of his fins in both of his hands before gently placing the palm of his remaining hand against her distended belly. If only he knew a way that he could tell her just how much she meant to him, that he could tell her just how much she had changed him... _improved_ him. She slid into the seat beside him, laying against his side and resting her head on his chest, listening to his soft, calm breathing. The light reflected in her gorgeous, innocent blue eyes, and he could tell that she had lowered all of her defenses. Only around him could she make herself so vulnerable, to completely strip the hard shell she had been forced to create to protect herself over the years she was tortured and experimented upon. This state of vulnerability attracted him, too, the fact that she felt so safe around him that she could expose her true self...a form that, if he attacked, would utterly and completely destroy her. He, too, could inexplicably tear down his defenses in her presence, and she was the only one that he felt safe enough to do so. Even Cynder, as gentle and loving as she was to him, couldn't claim to do that.

The simple fact that he was in possession of her heart warmed him, no one else, in his entire life, was so willing to give up everything for him...and here, this gentle, abused soul had give him all she had left to her name, and she had handed him her heart, something that, if not handled carefully, would surely destroy her. Even though she feared death, he knew that she would walk with him into the afterlife, when in his presence, her fears melted away. The trust between them was obvious, even if the whole world turned against them, even if _everyone_ they knew and loved became what Piermont had, they would _never_ be without each other. If only the rest of the world could understand how they felt for one another...how much they loved each other. As he lay there, gently stroking her body, he passed her a wordless promise, a soundless reassurance, that he would always be there for her, that he would always protect her, and that, most importantly, she meant the entire world and more to him. It was much the same for her, the way she looked at him, the way she smiled, the way she acted...she enforced this same reassurance in him. She also managed to pass the message to him that everyone, no matter how flawed, broken, or battered they were, had someone in the world that cared for them, that wanted them, and that loved them. The world only saw her as an animal, just like it only saw him as some kind of perverted, twisted monster. In reality, however, she was much more human than he...and regardless of what anyone else thought, he was happy to call her his mate, he was happy to call her _his_...a feeling that she mutually shared. At least, if they were outcasts, they were outcasts together.

The helicopter lowered to a landing in the middle of the plaza, Eli killing the engines and climbing out of the machine, stepping through the fountain to cool off. Everything was quiet, the only sound being the rushing, splashing water of the fountain, the chirping of crickets, and the music of the night birds singing. Alex stepped out of the chopper next, his hand curled around Ruby's fin, who dropped out beside him. "Listen, Commander..." Eli turned to face him, "We'll get that girl, don't you worry."

"I'm not worried," Alex replied, "We'll figure out something."

"Yeah...and I can't wait to fuck up some of those _Filios Diaboli_ goons next time, either."

"Here's hoping she knows how to survive."

"Well, she better learn quick if she doesn't, then," then nodding towards the dolphin, "How you feelin', Ruby?"

"Fine," she replied, "A little sleepy, but I'm fine."

"We still have a couple of hours before the rest of the campus wakes up, so we might as well find something to do until then."

"I'm takin' a nap," Eli replied, climbing back into the pilot's chair of the helicopter, "Wake me when shit starts happening around here," and he slammed the door shut.

"Will do."

Once he had left, Ruby turned to her mate, asking, "So what do we do now?"

Alex shrugged, "I dunno, what do _you_ want to do?" and immediately after, before she even had a chance to speak, "Not sex! We don't have privacy."

"I'm not horny anyway, I'm hungry..."

"Unfortunately, cafeteria doesn't open for another two hours."

"Damn it."

"We get go on a walk around campus, check the place out."

She smiled, "That sounds fun."

As they walked by the sector of campus leased to the fraternities, Alex spied a familiar form trotting along the sidewalk, her back to them. "Cyn, what are you doing awake?"

The she-dragon stopped, smiling towards her human mate, "You guys are back already?"

" _Filios Diaboli_ found us, some shit went down, and we decided it's best if we retreat and come back later."

"Everybody okay?"

"Yeah, everybody's fine, we just decided it was too dangerous to look for Akumi...decided to wait until things settled down a bit."

"Well, I'm glad you're back, I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Cyn."

"How's Piermont been?" Ruby asked.

"Not sure," the dragoness replied, walking with them, "I haven't seen him...haven't seen _Spyro_ either."

"Well that's good at least," Alex replied.

"Agreed," Cynder said with a firm nod, "The less I see of them, the better."

"You don't love Spyro anymore, Cynder?" Ruby asked.

The dragoness sighed, "Honestly, Ruby...I don't even know anymore. I mean, I _want_ to still love him...but that creature...it's not my mate. I don't know _where_ my mate went, but that's not him anymore. I hope that once everything with Piermont stops, whether he's killed or he kills himself, everything will return to normal. I don't _want_ to believe that he's gone for good."

Stopping by so Ruby could relieve herself, Alex and Cynder stood facing the street, guarding her privacy. "So things have been pretty boring then?" he asked.

"Yeah...haven't had much in terms of leads. Like I said, I haven't seen Spyro or Piermont since you guys left. Sorry..."

"Don't apologize, I'm just glad everyone is okay."

"So aside from the early termination, how was the trip?"

"It was nice, country is beautiful, we did a little exploring of Tokyo and the outlying territories. Oh, and Jazz bought me some _hentai_."

Cynder laughed, "Nice!"

"Ruby bought some, too...tentacle porn of all things."

"I'm...actually not all that surprised..." then, "What did you get?"

"Various things..."

"Like?"

"I'll...show you later."

"Alex Vaughn, doesn't mind telling the world of his relationships, but afraid to admit his fetishes."

"Shush," he replied, "It's things we've done before."

"You mean the...water...thing?"

"Yeah."

She blushed, looking away, "Oh...I guess I'm the one responsible for getting you hooked on that, huh?"

"It was fun, I admit. Ruby likes it, too."

"Y...yeah..."

Awkward silence for several moments before Alex turned to look at the embarrassed female dragon, blushing and idly scratching at the dirt, "You're getting big," he chuckled, scratching her head, level with his, possibly even a few inches taller now, "Pretty soon you won't be able to be on top anymore."

She shrugged, still blushing, "You can always just...go in from behind...that's what _most_ dragons do...or I can lay down and you can climb on top of me..."

"Back," Ruby replied, suddenly appearing behind Alex.

"Feel better, love?"

She nodded, "Much, I've been holding it in for awhile," and she continued ahead. Alex and Cynder passed each other embarrassed smiles before continuing forward, catching up to the dolphin.

"Anything from the rest of Alpha?" the Commander asked.

"No," Cynder replied, "They've been keeping to themselves. Things have been pretty quiet, which is fine...can't say I'm complaining. With everything that's been going on lately, and after the crap that happened in Vernhelm, I'm glad for a little peace and quiet. One thing though..."

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Next time you guys go to Japan, I'm coming with you."

Alex chuckled, "Deal."

"She can share the lover's suite with you and me," Ruby replied with a bemused smile.

"That could work...just hoping she can handle our...private time."

Cynder blushed in embarrassment, "That shouldn't be hard."

"She doesn't have to handle it," Ruby continued, "She'll be in bed _with_ us."

"Didn't realize you had _that_ much fun with me, Ruby," Cynder chuckled.

The dolphin shrugged, "It was different."

"I'm fine with this," Alex laughed, "Having both of you was fun...although just _how_ fun it could have been was kinda spoiled by the looming fact that I was heading to prison the next morning, so yeah..."

"When _are_ we heading back to Tokyo?" Ruby asked, "Our mission was a failure..."

"Not sure yet, but we will be heading back to Animeland soon enough." As they turned to head back to the middle of campus, with the sun rising in the sky and the university about to open soon, Ruby began to hum _Candy Candy_ to herself.

"Ruby, what are you singing?" Alex sighed.

"My new favorite song, it's so catchy and I love it!"

"Fucking hell..."

Cynder laughed, "So Ruby is an otaku now?"

"Otaku?" the dolphin asked.

"Yes, she is..." Alex frowned.

"An otaku is someone who likes animes and mangas...stuff like that."

The dolphin nodded vigorously, "Then yes, I am an otaku now."

"You can thank Jazz...he's the one that turned her onto that shit."

"Oh, c'mon, Alex," Cynder began, "It's not _that_ bad."

"I fucking _hate_ anime, I hate all of that weaboo, otaku shit. The coolest thing about our trip to Japan was seeing all the ancient architecture and traditional heritage outside of the city. Japan and its warrior culture fascinates me. It's a shame how the country is now known for _kawaii-desu_ and _chibi_ shit these days...the Americans fuckin' neutered them back in '45."

"That's racist," the dragoness teased.

"Yeah? Kiss my ass."

"With pleasure," the she-dragon grinned with a wink.

Back at the fountain, Alex smacked the door to the cockpit, calling, "Yo! Eli! Wake your sorry ass up!"

"When did you get a helicopter?" Cynder asked.

"Stole it from the Japs," Alex chuckled, "After our vacation went to shit."

"What the hell happened down there?"

"First _Filios Diaboli_ , then the Tokyo police department joined in, then the Japanese military, then goddamn Sonichu appeared from fucking nowhere. Thankfully, Ember pulled our asses out of the fire," and Alex pulled open the side door, allowing his team to climb out—Ember being the first one.

"Good to see you again," Cynder said, but the dragon girl only nodded, taking a few steps forward and looking around.

"This isn't your home," Ember said, head snapping around.

"Temporary residence," the Commander replied, "Since the home we _did_ have was kinda burned to the ground."

"You gonna stay long?" Cynder asked distrustfully, "Or are you just gonna up and leave us in the middle of the night again."

"I will stay for a time," Ember replied, "But my destiny still lies elsewhere."

"You sure?" Cynder continued, "Because this is _twice_ now we've crossed paths and you've saved our sorry asses."

"I'm sure," Ember replied, "I have my own mission, my own objectives. Your fight against Vergil just so happens to coincide with my own personal mission."

"What _is_ your mission exactly?"

Ember frowned, ice-blue eyes growing distant as she lost herself in thought, "Honestly...I don't know. I just know that I am moving towards it, and I'll know when I complete it."

"Makes plenty of sense," Cynder scowled.

"Be nice, Cyn," Alex replied.

"I just find it odd that she tends to show up at the same time as _Filios Diaboli_."

"She wasn't there when Vernhelm burned."

"Maybe because Vergil was there instead? Or perhaps because _Filios Diaboli_ wasn't really the threat...it was that damn hedgehog."

"I assure you," Ember began, "I am not related to _Filios Diaboli_ , and I am no friend of Vergil or any of his ilk."

"I'm just saying," Cynder replied, "We can't be too sure...these are dangerous times we're in."

"Agreed...think of me as a wanderer. Damned to wander the earth until the day her body returns to it."

- **Skyrim, Tamriel** -

In the wilds of Skyrim, near a sapphire-blue lake, Terrias and the Omniversals sat by a roaring bonfire. Aria had taken Raphael—hers and Terrias' son—out to hunt, and the servine remained with the Omniversals alone. Violet and Faythe were sleeping soundly, leaving only the servine and Synthia awake. Terrias stared towards where the light cast eerie shadows on the corpses or recently-slain mudcrabs, Synthia kept staring at him, examining him, silently judging him. Silence had remained in the air for the past hour with neither side trying to make conversation, before Synthia finally broke the ice, asking, "What's the deal between you and Vaughn?"

Terrias smirked, "Why do you care?"

"I don't. I'm just wondering how a somewhat decent person such as yourself ends up being friends with jackass like that."

Terrias shrugged, "He's my best friend...or at least, he was."

"I am amazed anyone can stand being around him. All I've seen him do so far is treat people like shit. He's overly angry, delusional, and more than a little childish. This is the person that commands an army in your world? Back home, he'd have gotten his ass kicked out so fast..." Synthia trailed off before continuing. "Been here two months now, and spent a grand total of... what, an hour? Hour and a half? around this guy and I picked up on all this. This is who you call your best friend... I don't wanna see your worst enemy."

"Yeah, well he isn't normally like this...at least, not to people he knows. We've all been under a lot of stress recently...it's been hard on all of us, especially Alex. You know that dolphin of his?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Her name is Ruby...she and Alex...they love each other very much. Recently, he got her pregnant, don't ask how, it's complicated but...anyway, you know that guy we warned you about, Piermont?"

"Psycho god nut. Sure."

"Well, he's Alex's bonded dragon. I don't know if you have cases like that where you come from, but it basically means that the two share a single mind. A dragonrider bond is more intimate than any other bond you can imagine. Hell, if he had to choose between Piermont and Ruby...he would choose Piermont, and his love for Ruby is...unfathomable. Anyway, recently, we were captured by these machines called the Reapers...we became the indoctrinated generals Ares and Thanatos. Harbinger—the Reaper Commander—severed our connection with the mutual mind bank...a telepathic chat room of sorts that all members of Alpha Company are part of. In addition to losing contact with the mind bank, Harbinger severed Alex's connection to Piermont, meaning that to Alpha Co, it was almost like we had died. For dragonrider bonds, the breaking of that bond can be fatal. Riders will often become vegetables once they lose their bonded dragon, those who don't either are committed to an insane asylum-if they survive that long, or commit suicide. Dragons, if they lose their riders, will either berserk and have to be put down, or will commit suicide themselves. Piermont...he's strong, he resisted the urge to lose control after losing connection with Alex, what they went through is the same thing as if Alex had died. Piermont fought it but...he lost his mind, and we could do nothing but watch as that young kid we all knew died before our eyes. Now he's insane, this demon, named Deitus, killed his mate, which only pushed him further down the rabbit hole. We killed Deitus, but these fucking angels demanded that we resurrect him as some part of some goddamn prophecy. Ruby's child contains the soul of Deitus, Piermont wants her to abort that child...he believes it's the Antichrist, and he fears bringing the Immortal Deitus back. I admit, I'm scared to see Deitus be reborn as well...but Piermont is obsessed to kill the child. He even had Keisha—one of our own, slice Ruby open and tear her womb from her body. Piermont has made at least three threats on his life, he's turned Alex's wing-second against him, and he's convinced all of Alpha Company that Alex is dangerous, insane, and needs to be put down. Alex is scared, he's stressed, and all he wants to do is protect Ruby...his trust is shattered, and keeping her and his child safe from harm is all he cares about. He doesn't hate you guys, he's only trying to protect Ruby...she's all he has left."

"Wow. That's quite the story, really. Womb tearing aside, which, at this point, I'm not gonna question how she or the baby survived that... just like how I'm not questioning that a human got her pregnant to begin with... you mean to tell me that all of this bullshit is over some random prophecy? Angels, the Antichrist? Just what the hell is this place? What's going on here?"

"Welcome to the end of the fuckin' world. Vergil, that prick we kept trying to get you guys to kill? He unleashed the Immortal Deitus from his prison in Purgatory to _begin_ with. When we killed Deitus...or when Alex and Ruby killed him rather...Vergil sought revenge and released this creature called the Alpha Breaker. The Alpha Breaker is the one destroying the beams keeping the Omniverse separate from the Base World. Looked around, you see all those pillars of light shooting into the sky? Those are the minor beams, the Base World's last resort to keep the Omniverse separate from it.. If these two worlds touch...both will be destroyed, they're both highly absorbent. If they touch, it will be a tug-of-war that will destroy everything and everyone. We are _literally_ watching the apocalypse unfold right now. And on top of everything else...protecting Ruby, stopping Piermont, killing Vergil and taking back our home—which Vergil captured—he's trying to figure out how to stop the end of the world. He doesn't hate you, he just doesn't trust you...and how can he? Between all this stress, and the fact that his own fucking dragon is insane and corrupting everyone else connected to him...Alex's sanity won't last long."

"Really? What we've been seeing, that isn't even insane Vaughn? Shit. And I didn't expect him to trust us; we just came here looking for my brother. We landed in that fancy mod you call a town completely by chance. And after that not-so-warm welcome, did you really expect us to trust everything you said about this 'Vergil' person? I'm still not even sure who the hell he is. But he definitely seems to know us. How? Why? As far as the end of the world goes... it's probably just your world that's gonna end, if anything. It's called the Omniverse for a reason. If anything, this place will probably just get sucked up into it."

"Tell me, if your brother was being threatened by someone who you trusted more than anyone else in the world, someone who had been your confidant for years, the only one you could trust your deepest, darkest secrets to. If you loved your brother as deeply as Alex does his mate, and all of a sudden, this person you trusted immensely, who you knew would never betray you and always had your back, wanted to kill your brother in cold blood...how would _you_ feel? No, we're at the end of all universes...because of that fucking Breaker. As for how Vergil knows you...I don't know. When you said that Omniversals were multiversals, that didn't help our trust of you. Vergil happily calls himself a multiversal, so of _course_ we thought you'd be in cahoots with him," then, after several moments of silence, "Tell me, Synthia...do you have a mate? A boyfriend or...maybe a girlfriend?"

Synthia silently glanced at Violet, "It's...kinda complicated."

"Tell me, how much do you love her?"

"More than anything else. What does this have to do with our situation?"

"Imagine if your brother obsessed over killing her. Imagine if your brother wouldn't stop until Violet was dead...what would you do? Put yourself in Alex's shoes, this is the situation he's in. There's a lot of things going on right now, we're all scared and worried. Just like I'm sure that Alex didn't mean what he said to me...but it still hurts, I've given him everything...and can I tell you something, promising you won't tell anyone?"

"If I may interject here for a second... you know next to nothing about us. Of course you don't, since none of us have told you much. But if you did, you'd know that scenario you've drawn up is completely insane. But I forgive you, buddy. It's okay. You didn't know any better," Synthia's brother interjected.

Synthia chuckled, "Thanks for your incredibly valuable input, Alex."

"Anytime."

"What was it you wanted to say?" Synthia asked, returning to the topic at hand.

Terrias frowned, "You know what, nevermind. If you can't step down from your holier-than-thou attitude...why the hell should I bother," and he turned away from Synthia, he whispered, voice trailing, "Not like any of you bastards would understand anyway...or you'll just mock me...just like he would..."

"'Holier than thou'? Seriously? Get the fuck out of here with that shit. Secondly, look around you, man. There's a hell of a lot here to mock, which we've actually done very little of, mind you. Mostly Violet, actually. You're a talking servine in Skyrim, and your supporting cast in this little theater of hell is pretty much half of the 90s video game hall of fame. Not to mention the talking, hybrid-baby carrying dolphin that walks on her tail fin."

Terrias remained silent for several minutes before, "Alex...is more than just my friend. I mean, we joke around a lot but I...I...who am I kidding, he wouldn't understand," Terrias sighed, shaking his head, chuckling, "Look at this, telling you things I don't even tell my closest friends..." then finally, "Why don't you just...uh...tell me about yourselves a bit, huh?" but the servine was blushing, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I gotta give you guys some credit. This is a rather... interesting... world you've got here. Mine is, well... it's fairly mundane, actually. No one has any special powers, animals don't talk, and for that matter, we don't have any mythical creatures walking or flying around. As for our lives... well, they've been pretty fucking shitty. I hate talking about it. Think it makes me sound like I want people to throw a pity party for me whenever I'm around. So I haven't told that many people."

"You and me both then. Hell, the only person I've actually told my story to was Alex..." his voice trailed here, "He actually listened...didn't say anything, didn't try to act all sympathetic...he just listened..." Terrias smiled sadly, examining his three-fingered paws, "Listen...if he does catch up to us...please don't hurt him. He's my best friend and I...I..." silence for several seconds, "I...care...a lot about him."

Synthia remained silent for a few minutes.

"Hey...I have a question for you..." Terrias suddenly began.

"What's that?"

"I've...noticed some interesting dreams lately...and I think they're radiating from your brother. There's more to your relationship with him...isn't there? He's more than just your brother...isn't he?"

Synthia blushed and looked away, "Well... we don't have much control over our dreams...though I will admit, we are a lot closer than most siblings tend to get."

"He's your mate..."

"Growing up, our mother and stepfather were never really around much. They both worked. Our real dad... he didn't want us; left before we were born. So it was mostly just us taking care of ourselves," Synthia said, ignoring Terrias' comment, "On our ninth birthday, one of the few they'd actually been there for... mom died in a car crash. Exactly a year later, I get to watch our selfish prick of a stepdad slice his own throat and bleed out on the floor. Spend two years in a shitty orphanage, watching as these other kids gets taken to new homes, kids that made our lives even worse because hey, why not make someone else in the same situation feel even worse, right? So we ran away. Decided to fend for ourselves on the streets. Not exactly the smartest of decisions, admittedly. But at that point, anything seemed better than staying there. We ended up at our real dad's place. We got to meet our half-siblings. Robert and Alexia. See... dear old dad was a bit of a player in high school. Got two girls pregnant... mom was the one he cheated with, not the one he cheated on, so... yeah. Worst part about that for me is that... she died thinking that he still loved her. That he ran off and abandoned her cause he was scared. Truth was, he couldn't give any less of a fuck. For the longest time, I hated them. They got everything, and we got shit. Pretty childish, I know. But hey, I actually was a child when I thought these things, so whatever. After we left... it was back to the streets for us up until... several months ago, I think. Hard to keep track of time when it works differently from world to world. Met Faythe and Violet along the way... they'd had it even worse than we did. Kinda made me put things in perspective. And before you ask, no, I'm not telling you what they went through. Alex and I promised not to tell. Besides... it's not our story to tell. Now, it's your turn. What's your story?"

"Damn..." Terrias sighed, "As for me..." he shrugged, "Let's see...where to begin...my mom and dad were the treasured Pokemon of a Unova trainer, she wouldn't even keep 'em in pokeballs because of how much she cared for them. Mom and dad were spoiled rotten, eventually, mom went into heat and dad—her best friend—knocked her up. Soon after that, their trainer left home to go grocery shopping...never came back. Some humans came in, took mom and dad and all of this girl's Pokemon and released them back into the wild. Poachers tried to bag mom and dad, cause they didn't know how to defend themselves in the wild, their trainer never fought them, dad was mortally wounded. One of the poachers captured my mom, took her back to New Alexandria, completely unaware she was pregnant. To say this new trainer, named Bob, was the polar opposite of her old one is an understatement. He was abusive, kept his Pokemon—all snakes and snake types—in cages in the basement, in the dark, starved them, forced them to fight in gladiator battles _to the death_ in various underground arenas in bars throughout the city slums, took bets. He was a bestial son of a bitch, too...if he was feeling frisky, he'd steal one of our females, rape her, then throw her back in the cell. Mom quietly laid an egg, hatched it, and for months raised it entirely in secret without his knowledge. There was another hatchling, too...Aria. We became best friends...then her mom got sick, passed away...my mom adopted Aria, raised us together as siblings. For years, she kept me in the dark about the truth of our environment, claimed that the shit we were going through was all a test to make us stronger. Then one day, on my birthday...she escaped to find me a birthday present. Bob found her, and in his rage, murdered her, burying under the tree in his backyard. Aria, much older than me, evolved into a servine soon after, she took care of me, raised me like a big sister. Time went by, and I noticed that something changed about her...certain smells would emanate from her, she would often talk about little curiosities like 'I had a silly thought, imagine if we became mates, how funny would that be', little things like that. I began to...think dirty thoughts about her, I dreamed about her, I masturbated to her while she slept, and I would try to get a look at her cloaca while she did. Sometimes I would notice it was wet and swollen, and that...smell...would linger around her. As we reached maturity, Bob decided to separate us—he kept males and females in separate cages to prevent breeding...I was only allowed to stay in the females' cage because I was still a hatchling and would be ripped to shreds by the males. During my tenure in the males' cage, I was abused, raped..." he smirked, "Did a fair share of dominance assertion myself as I got stronger...Aria's scent continued to linger in my nose...and we found a way to enjoy being close while separated. He had a piece of plywood between the two cages, the only thing keeping us apart, Aria made herself a bed, saturated it with her scent in one corner, I did the same in an adjacent one, that way we could still smell each other and we could still feel close. Over time, the abuse against me became so great, Bob decided to put me back with the females to keep me alive. Aria was much different now, I didn't understand it at the time, but she had reached the prime age of sexual maturity, and she desired a mate...I'd often wake to find her standing over me, this animalistic glare on her face. I remember one time, I had a particular...arousing dream about her, I woke up, saw her there watching me, I was so embarrassed because I was hard, I was crying out of embarrassment, she assured me it was okay, then agreed to let me see _her..._ parts, as repayment, she then said I could play with her...she did the same to me...and that was our first sexual experience together, even though we didn't become mates for a long time. Flash forward several more years, I'm in the arena fighting one of my few male friends, in comes a drunken Alex who tries to stop the fights. Gets into it with Bob, Bob knocks him down into the pit, demands I try to kill him. Alex and I fought, bartender gets pissed, kicks Alex out, and Bob throws me to the streets because I failed to kill Alex. He agreed to take me in, mutated me, and tried—and failed—to become friendly with me. Eventually I decided to try and befriend him after he literally humiliated Spyro to make me laugh. We became fast friends after that...he rescued Aria for me, then played matchmaker until we finally got together. Alex and I have been close ever since...and strangely enough, I feel...sort of attracted to him as well...sometimes I kinda wish that the little sex jokes we make with each other were real...sometimes I kinda wish that he would mate with me...or at least agree to some mutual fun..." silence for several minutes before, "And that's my story...so tell me, what's with you and your brother? Are you two mates?"

Synthia looked away, "I already told you. Violet's my girlfriend. Faythe is his girlfriend. That's all I'm saying."

"Either you tell him, or I will," Alex chimed in, taking control once again.

"Alex, I swear to god, I will slap you," Synthia replied.

"Yeah, we did it. And Faythe and Vi over there are our cousins. We didn't know that until recently, though."

Synthia smacked her face with her palm.

Terrias nodded, "I figured as much..." he chuckled then, "Alpha Company...we can see dreams, it's part of our mutations...and the mutual mind bank. Not only do we all feel the strongest of emotions—so if one of us is getting laid, the others know—but we will often share dreams...unless you're skilled enough—and lucid enough—to close those dreams off from the mind bank. No offense, but Alex here is obviously not used to having someone plugged into his mind 24/7. Oh, and for the record, Synthia, I think he's looking forward to a good fucking once he gets his body back," the servine grinned widely.

"Well, I hope his dreams are enough, cause he's not getting any ever again."

Terrias only chuckled, "C'mon, Synthia...he loves you and only wants you to know that he thinks about you."

"Hmph. You may be sharing a body at the moment, that doesn't mean you get to argue his case for him."

"It...it was a joke, but I guess you're humorless, huh?"

"No. I can laugh at things. They just have to be funny. The humorless one just so happens to be inside you at the moment."

"Fair enough..." and after several moments of silence, "I wonder if Alex—that's my friend Alex—meant what he said."

"Hate to break it to you, but he probably did. He might be stressed and angry, but that shit still came from somewhere. He was probably already thinking it. But that's just how I see it; I happen to think that excuse is bullshit."

"But...why? He's my best friend."

"I couldn't tell you. Maybe it's time to evaluate your friendships and figure things out. But that's just my two cents on the matter. You do what you want."

Terrias looked away, the wind ruffling his fur, with a sigh, he said, "I suppose you're right..." then, "I'm heading to bed, tell my family I said goodnight..."

"Will do."

The next morning, Terrias was the first in the camp to awaken. As he climbed out of his shelter, he leaned against a tree, watching the sunrise in the east, lost in thought.

Synthia walked up to him. "You know... if it's really bothering you that much... you could always try and vine whip him into submission. You know, assert your dominance, and whatnot," she said, a slight smile on her face.

Terrias chuckled, "Maybe...or maybe submit to him, let him know that he can trust me."

Synthia looked back towards the campsite. "We should probably keep moving. He'll find us eventually, but... let's keep that from happening for at least a little bit longer."

"Agreed...Alex won't let me anywhere near him or Ruby until your brother's spirit is out of my body and back in his own...any idea where we can start looking?"

Suddenly, without warning, Terrias' eyes widened and he doubled over, gasping for breath. Horrific images of death and misery shot through his head, and he screamed in agony.

"Uh... you doing okay?"

Finally, the crippling pain faded away, leaving the servine laying on the ground, gasping for breath, sweating profusely, eyes wide. His ears, ringing with tinnitus, finally faded, and he picked himself up on unsteadily legs, clutching his heart. Shaking his head, Terrias said in between breaths, "Something very bad is happening in Alpha..." his head snapped up to face Synthia, "We need to find your brother."

"Well... that's gonna be the fun part. See... we've been all over Skyrim at this point. Searched nearly every Hold looking for him. Any of the millions of caves here notwithstanding... only place he can be is somewhere in Whiterun. So at least you won't be too far from home."

Terrias stood on unsteadily legs, rocking in place and rejecting Synthia's offer for aid, "Let's get moving then."

Alex and his team sat around the fountain, chatting when Spyro suddenly called, "So, first you bastards leave without telling anyone where you're going, then you magically show up with a fucking helicopter...yet you call _us_ the villain."

"Choose your next words very carefully," Alex replied coldly.

"Or what? You'll shoot me? Go right ahead, prove to Cynder of who the _real_ monster is here."

"I'm not the one that beats her within an inch of her life."

"She's a threat to herself and her comrades, she refuses to listen to orders, all I'm trying to do is break her."

"By beating her?" and Alex clenched his fists, taking a menacing step towards the purple dragon, who didn't even so much as flinch.

"Alex..." Cynder began hurriedly standing between the Commander and Spyro, attempting to pull her human mate back, "It's not worth it."

"This little cunt needs to be put into his place."

"This won't help matters...only make them worse."

"Go ahead, Alex," Spyro taunted, "Do it...make a move against me. Show her and the world that you're a psychopathic, sadistic murderer. Prove to Alpha Company of just how fucked up you really are."

"I'm not the one who's fucked up," Alex roared.

"Alex, stop!" Cynder exclaimed.

"Listen to her, Alex...sounds like she's actually getting smart."

"Spyro, stop antagonizing him."

"You're both pathetic."

"And you're a confused, spoiled, fucked up little faggot who thinks he's all high and mighty because he sucked and took it in the ass in order to get onto Piermont's nice list!" Alex spat.

"Piermont has showed me more care and respect than you ever did."

"Because you're letting him use you as some goddamn sex toy! He doesn't _care_ about you! You're a tool to be used and discarded!"

"Like you? Or more accurately, like Cynder and even _Ruby_ are to you?"

"Take that back!"

"It's true, isn't it? As soon as another girl comes along and spreads her legs, all of a sudden you forget about the last one! You don't _love_ anybody but yourself! You're a depraved, perverted brute who cares only about his own pleasure!"

"Spyro, please stop."

"Shut up, Cynder! He's brainwashed you, he's _manipulated_ you into thinking that he actually loves you. He doesn't _love_ you, you're a toy! _I_ loved you!"

"And I thought I did, too..." Cynder replied, choking up, "But you changed, you're not yourself, Piermont has corrupted you, he's indoctrinated you!"

"No, my eyes have opened now, Cyn...I see the world, I see Alex, for what he truly is. There is no hope for you if you continue to follow him blindly into the fire, he'll lead us all into damnation! Open your eyes!"

"Listen to yourself! Just stop and _listen_ to what you're saying! You sound like a raving lunatic!"

"That dolphin is pregnant with the Antichrist! And he's _wanting_ to keep that beast alive! He'll destroy the world, Cynder! You're just going to let him do it!? He's insane!"

"Even if he is insane," Cynder began, the strength in her voice wavering, "At least he makes a more convincing argument than Piermont does. Alex doesn't claim to be some prophet sent by God, he doesn't claim to even be a hero."

"God _spoke_ to Piermont, Cynder, why would he lie about that?"

"Because Piermont is a fucking lunatic! He's been going batshit crazy since the Reapers captured Alex! Spyro, this isn't you... _please_ wake up!"

"I am awake," the dragon replied, "I'm free of the nightmare of ignorance, the nightmare of blindness. The question is...are you?"

"I don't know you anymore..." Cynder replied horrified.

"Then perhaps you never knew me. I haven't changed, Cynder, I've only learned the truth. If you believe that you don't remember me, that I'm some stranger to you...then perhaps it is _you_ who has changed."

"Spyro," Ruby began firmly, standing up tall, wearing a determined expression, "Enough of this."

"Shut up, you whore!" Spyro roared, "You are the root of _ALL_ of our problems!"

"Perhaps I am," the dolphin replied, "But this has gone on long enough, you've declared open war on your own mate!"

"As long as she's blinded by Alex's lies, I refuse to call her my mate!" then glaring accusingly at the dolphin, "One day, Ruby, you will suffer for your sins, and when that day arrives, I will be there to prove who was right and who was wrong. Piermont tells the truth, Alex really is a madman... _most_ of Alpha Company agrees with us, except for the blind few who refute fact to cling to their arrogance and misplaced pride."

"I'm already suffering for them," the dolphin replied, eyes narrowed, "It's why we're in this situation anyway, it's why I'm stuck in this stupid body! I'm _already_ suffering for my sins and my mistakes, and I have been for thousands of years!"

"I pity you," the purple dragon snorted, "I really do. You are so deep in sin that you don't even realize where you are. That beast you carry, it is a cancer, a blight on the world. It corrupts you, it oozes sin like a pus onto you, it _infects_ you. May God have mercy on your wretched soul!" and without another word, Spyro left, heading towards the small village on the campus outskirts, home of the fraternities.

"Ruby..." Alex began, cautiously approaching the silent dolphin, standing tall and erect, staring towards where Spyro had left.

He placed a hand on her back, but she shrugged him off, "Leave me alone, Alex..." she replied sadly, walking back towards the cafeteria to the south, opposite of where Spyro had gone.

He prepared to follow her, but Cynder placed her tail against his stomach, holding him back. He turned to face his dragonian mate, but she only shook her head, "Give her some time to cool off...you should recuperate, too."

He shoved her tail out of the way, "I don't _need_ to cool down," he replied bitterly, "But someone needs to put Spyro in his place _real_ quick, because I'm getting sick and tired of his bullshit."

"Fighting isn't going to help."

"Neither is ignoring it and letting it be!"

"He's looking for an excuse to erase what little doubt remains in Alpha Company that you aren't the monster Spyro and Piermont are making you out to be. Don't give him a reason to do so."

"Alpha ain't stupid, they know I'm not that bad."

"Actually..." Cynder sighed.

"You're shitting me, right?"

Cynder shook her head, "Most of them believe that you've gone crazy, their trust in you is dwindling, don't give them a reason to doubt you any further."

"Cynder, where the _fuck_ did everything go wrong?"

"I think things have been building up to this for a long, long time...Ruby upset the tender balance that Alpha Company maintained, I don't know why or how, but she did. Maybe her personality is too weak and vulnerable, and the fact that you didn't go hard on her like you did the others, that you remained soft towards her...I think that angered them. Ruby, nor you, deserve this...but it's the way the cards fell."

"Is there anything I can do to make things right again?"

"I...I honestly don't know."

"So why the fuck haven't you abandoned ship yet, huh? Why haven't _you_ left like everybody else."

"Because I know that you aren't a monster, I _know_ that Ruby isn't dangerous, and I love you."

"So you're throwing away everything, because you love me?"

"Yes."

"Why? I'm not worth that."

"You are to me," she nuzzled him affectionately, attempting to calm him, "The day you took me as a mate, I promised you that I wasn't going to leave you, I promised I was going to stay by your side."

"And you made this same promise to Spyro?"

"No," she replied, "I wanted to...but something kept me from doing so. Maybe I somehow knew this would happen."

"Why don't you just leave then? Jump ship like everybody else."

"Alex, I'm not going to do that to you."

"Why not? Everybody else has."

"I'm not everybody else."

"Why do you care? And I know it's more than love."

"You're right," she replied firmly, "It's because you need me...and I need you. Even if I was so cruel to leave you like this...do you really think Spyro would just take me back? Of course not! I'd be subjected to the same abusive bullshit I was before. We _need_ each other, Alex. I love you, and believe it or not, that's a huge factor, too. I'm not going to leave you, Alex...just like I know that you wouldn't leave me."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I know _you_. Don't do this to me, Alex, please don't shut me out...you're all I have left. I know you don't mean these things, I know you're just hurting and upset...but please, don't say these things...I don't want you to exile me like you did Terrias...please don't do this."

It was here that Alex noticed she was beginning to cry, and here where he felt a clarity envelope him in a moment of dawning horror and realization. She was sniffling and sobbing now, and he felt an overwhelming amount of guilt. She was right, he was hurting, and he was taking it out on his loved ones, the ones who _did_ actually still care about him. He was ostracizing them, making them feel unloved and unwanted, chasing those that _did_ still stand by him away. "Cynder..." he began, voice small, and he approached the dragon, curled into a surprisingly small ball, given her size. He knelt beside her, cradling her head in his lap and hugging her tightly, "Thank you...for being there for me."

She pulled her head away, her tearstained eyes locking onto his, before she buried her head in his shoulder, and he did the same to her. "I won't ever leave you," he said, "I promise. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

A series of gunshots startled them both, scattering the collegians walking by around them, completely ignoring the two. "Where is she?" a voice roared, and Alex was instantly on his feet, seeing a human-form Piermont approaching, holding an AK47 towards the sky. When nobody responded, he fired several shots into the air again, "I asked you a question!" the dragon roared, nodding towards Alex and Cynder, both slowly stepping back, "Where _IS SHE!?_ " behind the maddened dragon, Spyro trotted, wearing an arrogant smirk. When nobody responded, Piermont lowered the gun until it was facing Alex, and with a mad grin, the human-form dragon continued, "C'mon, Alex...I know you're not deaf. You can hear me just fine..." he snarled, "Where's your fucking girlfriend? She's gotta lotta balls to confront Spyro here, I'll give her that, but that kinda defiance doesn't come without a price."

"Fuck off, Pierre," Eli grunted.

"What did you say, you little punk!?" Piermont hissed, instantly turning the gun on the older man, "Did I give you permission to speak? No? Then step back and keep your mouth shut, got it?" he turned to face the Commander again, "Last time, where's your fucking girlfriend? If you don't answer," he smiled maliciously at the gun, "Sally here's gonna want some blood..."

Still silence.

"You know, Alex, you're _really_ starting to piss me off," and he took aim, "You made me do this..." and with a maddened grin, he opened fire with the weapon. Alex and Cynder quickly parted, the Commander taking shelter behind one of the raised gardens. "Come on, now, buddy," Piermont chuckled, "I just want to chat with her."

"You leave her out of this, Pierre!" Alex roared, "It's not her you want, it's me!"

"No...this has _nothing_ to do with you, buddy, but it has _everything_ to do with the Whore of Babylon. Now come out, fight like a man."

"I won't let you hurt her!"

"What are you gonna do? Shoot me? Oh boy, I would _love_ to see you try...but here's the thing, your friends, Alpha Company? They listen to _me_ now, and I'm sure they won't take that very kindly."

"You're making a big mistake!"

"No, I'm _fixing_ one..."

Just as Piermont prepared to execute the cowering Commander, a voice screamed at him from behind, "Leave them be!"

Before he even had a chance to respond, Ember leaped from a building behind them, tackling him to the ground and preparing to stab his chest with her weapon.

"Well, well! Lookie what we got here! Looks like ol' _Ali_ has got himself a new playmate!" and with a mad laughed, he kicked her in the stomach, knocking her back before sending her to the ground with a roundhouse kick. Popping his neck muscles, he chuckled, "Mmm...this is just getting more fun!"

Ember righted herself, finding herself staring into the barrel of his AK47.

"Hope you like a little lead in your diet," he chuckled, opening fire towards the dragon girl. Ember rolled out of the way, leaping onto her feet and running for cover behind the cackling Piermont, laying into her. "You're only making the thrill of the hunt that much better, love!" he laughed, "Keep running!"

With the human-form dragon distracted, Cynder helped Alex to his feet, "C'mon, we need to go get Ruby before he gets to her first!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Piermont called, "I heard that!" and before either Alex or Cynder had a chance to react, they were diving behind cover under another hail of gunfire, "I'll get my way," the dragon chuckled, "I always do."

Again, Ember pounced upon the dragon, tackling him to the ground and laying into him with a barrage of punches before thrusting her sword deep into his chest. He only stared down at the penetrating weapon, laughing like a lunatic, "Gotta do better than that, doll," before kneeing her in the snout, tackling her to the ground and laying into her. "Stay there and be a good bitch," he grinned, "You got some spice in your blood...I like that. Might have to...get a little taste of you after everything is said and done," he licked his chops. She kneed him in the groin, knocking him back, and he snarled, screeching before tackling her to the ground once again, undoing his belt, "Guess I gotta show you who's the dominant in this relationship. Was gonna wait for this, but no time like the present, eh?"

Alex quickly climbed onto his feet, running towards Ember, trying to help her, before a purple blur appeared out of the corner of his eye and he was thrown aside, sent tumbling across the ground. He recovered from the attack, seeing Spyro standing there, in an attack stance, baring his fangs with a low growl. "Stand down, Spyro, this has _nothing_ to do with you!"

"Piermont is trying to bring order to this destructive anarchy you have fostered for so long. If you want him, you better go through me!"

"Stay out of this!" Cynder roared, tackling her dragonian mate and knocking him aside. He instantly snapped to his feet, roaring as he charged towards her. Cynder evaded the charge, swiping his feet out from beneath him with her tail while she rolled to the side, and the purple dragon tumbled several times onto his back. The she-dragon tackled him then, pinning him to the ground and restraining him.

"Get off me, bitch!" he roared, "I'll fucking kill you!"

"I told you to _stay out of this_!" she hissed. He snapped at her, she countered by avoiding this and closing her jaws around his neck, holding him firmly in place and jamming her tail blade forcefully into his cloaca. He screeched in pain as blood oozed from within, before soon passing out from the pain. Only once his body had gone limp did Cynder let go of her grip, turning towards Alex, "Go get Ruby!"

"I need to save Ember!" he exclaimed, running towards the blue dragon-girl. By now, she was being held fast, completely unable to move, and Piermont had fully undressed his waist, stabbing his penis into her cloaca. The dragon-girl screeched at the pain, squirming to break free, even as blood gathered around her.

"You like that, don't you bitch?" Piermont laughed, "Oh yeah, scream for me, honey... _scream for me!_ "

"Fuck off!" Alex roared, and just as Piermont turned to face the Commander standing behind him, Alex swung a brick towards the human-form dragon, smashing him in the temple and knocking him to the ground. Bleeding heavily and profusely, the blue sparks of healing beginning to dance across the gaping gash in his forehead, he tried to pick himself up, attempting to stab Alex with Ember's _flamberge_. Alex dodged the eviscerating swipe, smashing the brick against his head again, knocking him back to the ground. His reaction time greatly reduced, Piermont slowly began to stand back up again, only to be struck a _third_ time, by the brick, this time in the back of the head. Blind in his fury, Alex brought the bloody brick up to strike again, only to have his hand caught by a scaly paw. His head was forcefully snapped back, and a razor-sharp claw sliced across his throat, followed by a searing pain and a jet of red spewing out before him. He could feel cold air rushing down his open throat, a horribly unpleasant feeling, mixing with the searing heat, and he couldn't breathe. Finally, he was tossed to the ground, his hands clutching his bloody throat, trying to breathe. Spyro stood where he had been, blood smearing his torso, his canine-like penis, sliced cleanly open, hanging from its sheathe, dripping blood onto the ground. Alex turned to where Cynder lay, on her side in a pool of red, her back to him, and he crawled his way towards her, gasping for breath. Even as the healing sparks set to work on his throat, it still felt like it was taking hours for the wound to heal.

Now almost upon her, he extended a hand towards the she-dragon, only to feel a hard, rounded object strike him in the middle of his back, before he was forcefully rolled over onto his belly with the leather boot. Piermont stood over him, battered and bruised, covered in blood, but wearing a mad grin. Speaking in a slurred voice, the human-form dragon chuckled, "You almost got me there, too bad you didn't finish me off," and Alex screamed as Piermont held Ember's sword above his head, bringing it down twice onto his neck. Instantly, everything went quiet, his vision darkened dangerously towards black, he couldn't breathe, and blood shot from his throat like a fountain. His body went dangerously numb, and Piermont struck again and again, each strike of the serrated blade making contact with his bare skin. One-by-one, Alex lost feeling in his limbs, until he couldn't even feel pain anymore. His ears rang with tinnitus, his vision was almost entirely black now, and only then did Piermont stop attacking, crouching beside Alex's body and spitting onto his face. The dragon said something, and although he couldn't hear the beast speak, he could read the dragon's lips, _You wear that look well!_

Piermont stood straight, and Spyro ran up to him, saying to him, "She's in that building," before the purple dragon pointed towards the cafeteria.

Piermont affectionately patted the purple dragon's head before twirling Ember's _flamberge_ in his hand, planting the weapon into Alex's chest...although the Commander felt nothing. He felt a slight pressure on his waist, and Alex watched as the human-form dragon tore his sword from its sheathe, standing upright once again and walking over to his dropped AK47, picking it back up walking back to the Commander, pulling a clip from his bloody shirt and loading it into the weapon. Piermont stood over him, grinning smugly and arrogantly before rolling his head and walking towards the cafeteria. His vision drawing ever closer to darkness, Spyro stood over to him, wearing a sadistic grin before straddling him. Staring face-to-face with the purple dragon's mangled, blood-red penis, a stream of steady, golden fluid sprayed from the tip, showering into Alex's face, eyes, nose, and mouth, bitterly salty and hot in taste and saturating his body. As the dragon urinated on him, it dripped into his wounds, bringing on a fresh wave of pain, and Alex tried to scream, finding that nothing emerged from him, and all opening his mouth did was make him choke on the disgusting liquid. When the stream finally receded, Spyro stood over him once again, grinning widely, "Too bad I don't have something solid for you...maybe next time," before walking away. For several moments, Alex lay there, slowly losing consciousness. His last sight was Cynder stumbling towards him the she-dragon caked in blood, paw clutching her belly, and he noticed that she had been unzipped down the center of her belly. A thick red rope of her small intestine poked from between her claws, which she tried to keep inside as the sparks of healing slowly closed the wound. Just as she collapsed onto him, Alex finally lost consciousness completely.

Piermont, whistling a merry tune, strolled into the dark, empty cafeteria, chuckling and calling out, "Oh, Ruby! Where are you? I know you're in here, baby. Let's have a little chat, shall we?"

When only silence greeted him, he headed up the spiral stairs leading into the upstairs floor of the cafeteria, also dark and eerily empty, completely silent.

"C'mon, Ruby...let's play," and he walked casually into the empty room, one good eye scanning for any sign of movement, "Don't be a chicken."

He placed the tip of his sword against the guardrails around the stairway, whistling and walking past, listening to the sword clattering against each individual bar, "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Ruby, after hearing Piermont's taunts upon his entrance into the cafeteria, had run and hid behind one of the food preparation tables adjacent to the kitchen. Upon hearing him walking up the stairs, she had swiftly and quietly made her way into the large kitchen, devoid of life after a shooting had apparently happened just outside, evacuating the building. She held her breath, terrified upon hearing Piermont walking back and forth past the tables. Frozen in place by fear, her mind raced to figure out what to do now, if he found her, she was surely dead. Finally, she hurried upright, scurrying deeper into the kitchen. She tripped over herself, smacking a shelving unit and causing several frying pans to clatter loudly against each other. Heart sinking, she ran as deep into the kitchen as she could, diving behind a prep table as Piermont's shadow fell upon the doorway, and the dragon entered the kitchen, the sunlight shining through the door reflecting off his face to make his burn scars glow ghastly.

"You know I hate these little games, Ruby..." Piermont replied in a cold voice, wild eye scanning the shelves, "Enough of this, come out, you little shit."

Ruby peered through a rack of pans towards Piermont, standing in the doorway.

"If you don't answer me, I'll find you...and I promise you that shit will be a lot worse for you if you don't come out. What are you hoping for? Alex to come save you?" the dragon chuckled, "Alex is dead, or if he isn't, he will be _very_ soon. You have no friends, no reinforcements waiting for you...so stop delaying the inevitable, it ends here."

When no response came, he began patrolling through the kitchen, remaining completely silent. Ruby watched him approach her, and holding her breath in fear, she frantically crawled into hiding behind the next set of prep tables, just as he stopped where she had just been. For several moments, he remained standing there, before he pointed his AK47 to the ceiling and fired a stream of bullets into the tile, startling the dolphin and nearly making her wet herself in fear. Piermont only chuckled in response, continued ahead, scanning the aisles. Ruby frantically squeezed beneath the table, managing to force herself underneath it just as Piermont entered the aisle she had been in, and she held her breath, watching, eyes wide from beneath the table as Piermont quietly walked by. He smacked his sword against the hood above one of the stoves, the sound loud enough to make Ruby's ears ring, but she remained silent, trembling.

Once the dragon had walked by, Ruby quietly crawled to the other end of the line of prep tables, peering out to ensure that Piermont was still searching around at the far end. Finding that he was nowhere around, she squeezed out of hiding, running into the dishwashing room, eyes scanning around for a hiding place. Behind her, she could hear Piermont throwing round pots and pans, tearing the kitchen apart, looking for her. She considered running back out the way he had come in, but all the lights were off in the kitchen, with bright sunlight shining in through the kitchen door from the windows in the cafeteria. He would see her shadow if she tried to slip out unnoticed. She then noticed the carousel, meant to take dishes back to the diswashing section, where the leftovers could be scrapped and the dishes themselves cleaned. Checking behind her to gauge how far away Piermont was, she climbed over the conveyor belt that carried the scrapped dishes to the machine, climbing over the carousel and clumsily dropping outside back into the cafeteria. She quickly made a break for the stairwell, almost reaching it when, "Ha! There you are!" and she squealed in alarm as a hail of gunfire fired around her. She began to run down the stairwell, chancing one look back to see a furious Piermont sprinting towards her, firing his weapon from the hip. Ruby quickly skipped down the stairs, shoving open the doors and finding herself outside once more. "HELP!" she screamed, "HE'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"

Her eyes fell upon Alex and Cynder, laying in a pile within a puddle of blood in front of the cafeteria, both unresponsive.

"ALEX!" she cried, running to and kneeling by his side, "Alex, don't die! Please don't die! I need you!"

The cafeteria door burst open, Ruby squealed in surprise, and she violently rotated to see Piermont approaching her, firing his AK47 towards her. Only clicks emerged from the weapon, and with a snarl, he tossed it aside, drawing his sword, angry snarl morphing into a mad grin, "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby...you sure know how to give a guy one _hell_ of a workout."

"Please, Piermont! Don't do this!"

"I warned you, Ruby...I _warned_ you and you didn't _fuckin_ ' listen! That's what really _pisses_ me off about you, you DON'T _LISTEN!_ "

As he brought his sword up above his head, preparing to cut the cowering dolphin down, he screeched in agony as, in a bright blue blur, the sword clattered to the ground and his hand flew several yards away, twitching in a glowing pool of red. He clutched the bloody stub, screaming as he turned towards where Ember stood, her _flamberge_ dripping red onto the ground.

"You _cunt_!" he hissed, charging towards her, but Ember evaded him, spinning around him and stabbing him from behind with her sword. He cried out as the blade punched through his chest before Ember tore it free and the human-form dragon doubled over, coughing up blood and clutching the hole in his chest.

Ember brought the blade up, preparing to decapitate him, only for a weak voice to cry out, "Stop! Don't do it!"

She paused, turning to face Alex, who gently slid Cynder's still-unconscious form off of him, slowly scampering onto his feet with every bit of care as an old, arthritic man.

"Don't hurt him...please," he pleaded, holding out a hand towards her.

"He wants to kill you and your pregnant mate," Ember replied coldly.

"He's...he's still in there...I can save him...please don't hurt him."

Reluctantly, Ember glanced back and forth between the downed Piermont and Alex before hesitantly sheathing her sword, "I do hope you know what you are opening yourself to."

"Weak..." Piermont spat, "You are _weak_!" but he only slowly picked himself up, still clutching his bleeding chest, spitting out blood and limping back to the village, defeated.

"Cynder..." Alex choked, stumbling towards the she-dragon, past the sobbing Ruby, before collapsing at the dragoness side. "Cynder...wake up..." her eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath, rolling onto her stomach and coughing up congealed blood and phlegm. Once the she-dragon's hacking had receded, Alex stood upright on unsteadily legs, eyes darting back and forth between Ember and Ruby several times before he collapsed to his knees and fell forward, unconscious once again.


	19. Chapter XVIII: Reunion

_**Chapter XVIII**_ **:**

 **-''Reunion''-**

 **-Coulson, North Carolina-**

 **- _07 September 2016_ -**

 **- _1741 Hours_ -**

" _Alex...please wake up..."_

 _The Commander opens his eyes, finding himself completely enclosed in darkness. Pain in the form a dull throb pulses continuously through his body, which is mostly numb and paralyzed, and he remains still._

" _Don't leave me, Alex..." a tearstained voice echoes through his mind, "I love you...I can't lose you!"_

 _He blinks slowly, opening his eyes to find that he's now in some post-apocalyptic wasteland. The skies above him are a bloody red, filled with clouds, and ash snows from the sky. His surroundings are caked in mountains of ash, and he knows that he's laying in a comfortable bed of ash, still hot to the touch, but far from unpleasant. Turning his head, he identifies a spire—familiar architecture—punching through the layers of ash, and he realizes that he's in New Alexandria, now almost completely buried beneath the ash._

" _Alex..." that sad voice croons on, a voice that's familiar, but unidentifiable, "Please wake up..."_

 _With another blink, he sees a feline form approach him, and his eyes widen as he identifies this as Cheet. Several more forms emerge from the all-encompassing fog: Crash, Tails, Simba, Keisha, and Rudolph...but the two that stick out the most are Cheet and Zack. The fallen form a loose circle around him, their heads bowed in prayer, but one of them does continue towards him. Cheet nuzzles his cheek with his snout, and the Commander realizes as the cheetah is a cub once again, "Wake up, Alex..." he smiles warmly, "Don't be a lazy bones!"_

" _Cheet..." Alex says, carefully sitting upright and leaning against a petrified pillar. The cub purrs loudly, rolling around in his lap, "But you...you're dead..."_

" _We all are, Ali..." Zack says, attracting Alex's attention, "And soon, you will be, too."_

" _No...n-no! I don't want to die!"_

" _Alex..." a new voice says, causing the Commander's blood to run cold, and he looks behind him to see Piermont—small enough to fit in the Alex's lap—approach him with a goofy smile. A much-younger Cherub walks right behind him, "Death doesn't hurt," the small dragon begins, his voice so young... "It's a liberating feeling...there's no more pain, no more sadness..."_

 _Alex turns to face Cheet, who only nods, "Piermont's right...it's so much nicer here!" and in the blink of an eye, Alex is standing in a seemingly endless field of rolling grass and flowers, tinted blue, "I've never been happier."_

" _But...what about Ruby? O-Or Cynder!?"_

" _Soon, they will be gone, too..." Zack says sadly, "Nothing lasts forever, Ali."_

 _Suddenly, the Commander can hear a strange sound in the wind, one he soon recognizes as crying, and the voice...he recognizes it as Ruby's. "Please...don't leave me, Alex..." the dolphin cries, "I love you!"_

" _N-No...I can't! I can't leave her!"_

" _Alex..." Cheet begins, "If you go back, your life will only get worse."_

" _I don't care! I need to...Ruby means the world to me...I can't leave her alone...not when everyone wants to destroy her!"_

" _Listen, Alex..." Piermont says, "She won't survive for very long..."_

" _Not unless I'm there with her!" the Commander hisses, shoving aside the apparitions and running into the field, "WAKE UP!" he screams, hitting himself, "Fucking WAKE UP! WAKE..."_

...and his eyes snapped open, the Commander gasping for breath. His body ached mercilessly, he felt feverish, and his head burned with a fierce pain. "Alex!" Ruby exclaimed, crouching by him, "Shh..." she soothed, hugging him and cradling his head against her belly, "Shh...it's okay, everything is okay...I'm here..."

Her heat beat quickly in his ears, and this soothed him, "Ruby..." he managed, voice hoarse, throat dry and raw.

"Don't talk..." she replied, "Gather your strength..." then, "Eli, how's Cynder doing?"

"Alive," he replied, "Christ knows for how long..." he worked with Jazz to lift the unconscious dragoness up and carry her to where Ruby and Alex lay. Rapid, Kira, Dash, Rocket, Scarlet, and Sapphire stood around the small group, keeping guard, and Ember sat off by herself, not responding to the others in the group.

"Why did you stop him from getting killed?" Sapphire asked, "He could have endangered Ruby!"

"Leave him alone, Sapphire..." Ruby replied, "I'm fine...I'm more worried about him and Cynder than myself."

" _You're_ the one he wants to kill, Ruby. Not them!"

"Stop fightin'!" Eli spat, "The _last_ thing we need is for us to get all divided and shit. As long as that crazy bastard is still walking, we need to stay together."

"Eli's right," Dash said, violently shaking her head, "They _want_ us to start fighting, don't give them the pleasure!"

"We need to get everyone to safety, and soon," Rapid said, "Before Piermont or Spyro decide to come back."

"Is there any reason for Sam to keep us here?" Rocket asked, "I say we head back to Skyrim, and _don't_ tell Piermont or Spyro where we went. Hell, they'll probably figure it out anyway...but the longer we keep 'em away the better."

"I agree," Jazz replied with a firm nod, "At the very least, we can get Ruby, Alex, and Cynder secure before Piermont or Spyro come around again."

"That could work," Rapid replied, "We can keep a doctor with 'em, too. When's Fox supposed to come back?"

"He didn't say," Jazz responded, "But he said he'll come back as soon as he can."

"You guys are staying with us," Ruby replied, "Our room will be cramped, I admit, and there won't be much privacy...but it's the safest option. Right now, Piermont and Spyro will want us _all_ dead, it's important we stick together and watch each others backs."

Rapid sighed, "I guess, but let's pick up some earplugs first, and then when you and Alex are feeling a little...frisky, you can warn us so we don't have to hear it."

Jazz pulled out his phone, "I'll call Sam, let him know what's going on, you guys head on back to Windhelm, I'll catch up later..." he nodded towards the helicopter, "Will take the chopper."

"I suggest leaving it here for Sam," Eli said, "That way if the shit hits the fan and he needs to pull out, he can. He's too valuable an asset to leave vulnerable."

"Does Sam even know how to _fly_ a helicopter?" Rocket asked, "'Cause if not, I can stay back here for a little while longer, teach him the basics. Then I'll come after you bastards once we're done."

"I'll stay with Rocket," Scarlet added.

"Can you avoid Piermont and Spyro?" Rapid asked.

"Pfft, shouldn't be too hard, I ain't that big."

"How will you get back?" Sapphire queried.

"Easy, I'll just teleport. I remember enough of what Windhelm looks like that it shouldn't be too tough."

"What about Scarlet?" Eli asked.

"Same here," the red fox replied, "Don't worry about us. We'll get Sam trained up with basic shit then we'll head back. Spyro and Piermont don't have a bounty on _our_ asses, just yours."

"I wouldn't take risks anyway," Jazz responded, "By this point, they're after anyone who aligns themselves with Alex and Ruby."

"Don't worry about us," Rocket reassured, " _Both_ of us can hold our own, a'ight? You bastards just get movin' before one of Pierre's cronies sees."

"Take care," Ruby replied with a warm smile.

"Roger that, Ruby," Rocket replied, waving his first two fingers together in a casual salute.

Terrias' eyes snapped open from another nightmare, and the servine shot up, out of breath. He anxiously glanced around, spying the other Omniversals sitting around a campfire, casting him confused looks. It took the Pokemon awhile to process where he was, and when he finally remembered, it all came back with such force as to give him a splitting headache. He and the Omniversals were taking shelter in a small cave in Whiterun Hold. The ruins of Vernhelm lay in the distance, a ghostly silhouette in the moonlight, and the servine was afraid that an Alpha Company patrol would find him. He kept his fears to himself, however, and he wasn't sure how the Omniversals thought, they remained stonefaced, never really said much, and it was hard to read their body language. Catching his breath, he cast a glance to the side, where Aria lay curled with their child, sleeping soundly in the dim light of the small fire. He smiled warmly at his family, chuckling briefly before rubbing the sleep from his eyes and sitting up against the cold, slick cavern wall, facing the Omniversals.

"So, going over the plan once more..." Synthia began.

Violet cut her off, "It's still a very stupid plan. You want to just walk right on through that place, where everyone wants to kill us?"

"Like I said, everyone that wants to kill us will likely be asleep."

"Wait, now hold on a sec..." Terrias began, only to be ignored.

"You realize that you're basing this entirely off of what might be the case? What if they're _not_ asleep? I don't think there would even be any place left for them _to_ sleep," Faythe chimed in.

The servine frowned.

"Well, if you have a better plan, I'd like to hear it, because going around presents the same problem, with an additional lack of hiding spots thrown in for good measure."

"Hold on," Terrias repeated, forcing his way into the conversation, "You're not suggesting we _actually_ go in there, are you? You _do_ realize that Alex wants _you_ dead, and if he sees me again, I probably won't be too far behind."

"I realize it's not the best idea, but it's all we've really got. If we go around, it'd be even easier for them to see us. If you have a better plan that doesn't involve travelling for days away from here just so we can head further north, then by all means. Tell me."

"Honestly, I'm perfectly satisfied with circling around Whiterun hold, giving Vernhelm a _wide_ berth, if we go to...where exactly are we going again?"

"I don't know exactly, but the area north of Verhelm is the only place we haven't searched. Alex has to be up there somewhere. I'm sure of it."

"Great. So you want to go towards the Alex that wants to kill us to find the Alex that wants to fuck us. I see no problems here," Violet said, sarcasm evident in her voice.

Terrias chuckled, "Maybe he's in that abandoned shack or wherever that the Dark Brotherhood takes you in _Skyrim_..." then, "It's...uh...it's a video game. Base World logic is really weird and I strongly suggest you don't question it. Anyway...uh...so yeah, I say we hug the perimeter, circle around Whiterun Hold and make our way north. We would pass by Eastmarch as well...Jarl Ulfric might be able to help us, he knows shit, has some little birdies here and there, and he's a friend. He'll keep a secret."

"Firstly, I know it's a game, that's why I question this Skyrim's presence here instead of where it should be. Secondly, I hate every version of Ulfric there is, ever was, and ever will be. Thirdly, what makes you think Vaughn hasn't already told him to be on the lookout for us. I remember right, he was a friend of theirs," Synthia responded.

"Because Jarl Ulfric isn't stupid, and I doubt Alex has a good enough reason to sic the entire Stormcloak Rebellion on our asses. Worse comes to worst, we can always talk to Dante—one of Ulfric's captains—he'll listen to us, even if the Jarl, himself, doesn't. Oh, and FYI, Dante is the fucking Dragonborn, so his alliance to Ulfric is more of a convenience than anything else."

"Huh. I always saw the Dragonborn as an Imperial type person. Then again, I also had mine join the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild..." Synthia says, trailing off from the topic at hand.

"Anyways, going around is definitely the better option. I say we go with that plan, Syn," Violet replied, trying to rerail the topic.

"Agreed," Faythe added.

"Fine," Synthia responded.

"My Dragonborn was always Stormcloak, and _still_ joined the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild," Terrias chuckled, "But not Dante. When he's not fucking around Windhelm or riding dragons into battle against the Imperials—or any of our various enemies, since Tamriel is one of our biggest allies—he's actively hunting down and wiping out any assassins or thieves he comes across. He's like a...'good' Hitler..." the servine grinned, "Yeah, I know, pisspoor analogy, but you get the point. Anyway, I doubt Alex could have convinced the entire Stormcloak Command that we're the enemies. Alliance or not, Ulfric prefers to govern in his own way with minimal input from outside sources. You tell him how to do his job, he says 'fuck you' and does what he wants. Dante's the same way...and because of that, he and the Jarl sometimes clash. They only get along cause they're both warmongers, Ulfric helped Dante take on Alduin—yes that happened here, too—and Dante helped Jarl Ulfric win the war."

"Okay. So we meet up with these two, what then? How do they help us?"

"Well, if there's _one_ thing that doesn't involve killing shit that both Ulfric and Dante are excellent at, it's networking. They have a _lot_ of confidants and sources of Intelligence around not just Skyrim, but the entirety of the Gothics—Tamriel included. If anyone would know a lead on some random body lying around that refuses to rot, it's them. Especially since Dante's wife supposedly likes to dabble in a little bit of necromancy here and there. Dunno how true those rumors are but...well...they persist."

"Well, technically, my body is still alive, it's just vacant at the moment." Alex said.

"What the actual fuck..." Terrias replied, "How the hell does that work!?" he shook his head, "Never mind...that only helps us. If there's a weird, hollowed person wandering around like some kinda robot knight, that would _definitely_ attract the attention of the Stormcloak Command. With all these cults walking around...especially with the likes of Miraak's goons...they'd want to investigate and keep tabs on that."

"If I'm not in it, it can't be moving around."

"So yeah, a corpse that won't rot is basically what you are..." the servine shook his head, "Anyway, that's our strongest lead right now. Anything to keep us from going through Vernhelm...too risky."

"Corpses are dead; I'm not dead. By definition alone, I can't be a corpse."

Terrias' catlike, slanted, maroon eyes narrowed, "Fuck you...don't even get started on the word games, it pisses me off. Just ask Ruby, she _really_ likes to toy with that crap...Dash, too, to a lesser degree."

"Enough of this already. Let's just go," Violet said.

Alex and party arrived above Windhelm late in the night, completely unaware of the Omniversals and Terrias' plot just a few miles to the west. A raging blizzard obscured most of the view of the dimly lit city, but they could barely make out the various torches and lanterns lining the walls. Alex remained silent, hurting from his various wounds, and he worried about just how much damage Piermont had actually _done_ to him. He briefly recalled how much damage Jazz had done to Terrias several years earlier, what felt like ages ago, and how the servine neglected his declining health until it eventually caught up to him. The Commander, afraid of the same happening to him, decided that when Fox came back from his trip, the _first_ thing Alex was going to do was pay the old man a visit.

"How are you feeling?" Ruby asked, the two riding together atop Cynder's back, soaring through the cloudy skies on the slick, black beast.

"Been better," Alex chuckled, "Feel like shit, to be honest."

"Should we take you to a doctor?"

"I'll go see Fox when he comes back."

"Don't wait _too_ long if you're hurting..." Cynder warned in a cautious tone, "Remember what happened to Terrias..."

"Yeah," Alex replied, wearing a grim expression, "I was just thinking about that..." then, "You know, I miss the bastard, Cyn."

"Then go find him and bring him back."

"I can't, I don't know where he is...and I can contact or see him over the mind bank..." the Commander frowned, "Fucking Omniversals blocking the connection I'm sure."

"What do you have against them, exactly?" Cynder asked.

"They's pricks," Alex snarled, "And they're the cunts that brought either _Filios Diaboli_ , Sonichu's goddamn soldiers, or both to Vernhelm."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive?"

"Evidence?"

"I know."

"Not very strong," Cynder replied, casting her mate a sly grin.

"Oh fuck you," the Commander growled, more tired than irritated.

Cynder considered responding to this, continuing to egg Alex on, but decided against it, only falling silent and continuing to glide soundlessly through the dark skies. "You know," Ruby began, "If it wasn't so cold, I'd say that this is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, just look at all those mountains."

"So...you mean a much colder Alagaesia?" Cynder replied, still grinning.

"Well...yeah...but the people of Tamriel are much nicer."

Both Alex and Cynder laughed at this, "Yeah right," the Commander said, "The people here are pricks...you shoulda been here before we won Ulfric's blessing. We were _this_ close to losing our heads because Imperial soldiers thought we were Stormcloak 'battlemages'."

"We haven't really seen much of Alagaesia," the she-dragon added, "From what we've heard, the people there are really kind. It's just we can't say for sure because we don't have much of a footing over there. Hopefully that'll change."

"Yeah," Alex replied, "Maybe when we _finally_ get all the civil unrest here resolved."

"We'll spend a lifetime here then..." Cynder sighed, "These people on this continent are extremely polarized, they have been for countless generations. We're not gonna change all of that in the span of a couple of years...or even a couple of lifetimes."

"Reminds me," the Commander sighed as Cynder lowered to a landing in the middle of the empty, cracked street, right beside the perimeter walls encircling Hjerim, allowing her passengers to dismount, "We still need to head back to take on the Archreaper's Legion and retrieve _Bloodreaver_."

"Chalk that up onto our to-do list, right next to 'find and rescue Akumi Satō."

"Fuck that..."

"Honey," Cynder replied with a grin, gently and seductively raking her tail-blade across Alex's cheek, "If you're that concerned about fighting a bunch of police officers and soldiers, then just bring me along next time."

"Considering it," Alex replied, expression still graven.

"Cheer up, hon..." Cynder added as Alex walked up to the house, unlocking the heavy front door and opening it wide, stepping just inside the cold, dark parlor to allow his comrades inside, "It'll all work out in the end."

Immediately, the she-dragon waddled over to the fireplace, starting a small fire in the pit while Alex retrieved wood from outside, and Ruby headed to the kitchen for something to eat. Once the house was comfortable and homey again, the trio headed upstairs towards Alex's room, slipping inside and climbing into bed.

Terrias and the Omniversals passed through the ancient, weather-worn southern gates into the bustling streets of Windhelm. The blizzard that had ravaged the hold the previous night had let up, and the sun shined down at late morning to early noon upon the snowy streets through a cloudless sky. Terrias sighed, "Now the fun begins...finding Dante and Ulfric."

"Oh, good. This place is just as much of frozen shithole as it is in the game. Perfect," Synthia said.

Terrias shrugged, "Well, Jarl Ulfric is just now getting some cash flowing from Imperial coffers to restore the city."

"Y'know," Aria began, "If you're looking for the Jarl, may I suggest the palace? Y'know...where he _always_ is?"

"Thanks, hon," Terrias replied offhandedly, no stranger to his mate's sharp sarcasm.

"Okay, so wait a second. If Ulfric won the war, how come he's still a Jarl and not the High King? I thought that was supposed to happen if they won?" Faythe asked.

"Because the Moot are a bunch of bitchy little girls who think that Ulfric's methods to become High King automatically rendered him ineligible for consideration...to put it kindly. Fun fact: they don't like warmongers who murder the existing High King and slaughter countless soldiers and generals across the province. So they've decided to stalemate a parliamentary meeting until they find a candidate who could suit the role...they briefly considered Dante but...well...Dragonborn and Hero of Skyrim or not...he still helped Ulfric's little band of rebels. Yes, they are petty that way."

"And here I thought it was an 'honorable duel' that Ulfric happened to win," Synthia added, sarcastically.

"Well, as much as I admire the bastard, you and I _both_ know that it didn't necessarily pan out that way. Do I believe Ulfric cheated? Not at all, but let's face it, I doubt High King Torygg agreed to the duel," with this said, the group fell silent. They decided to head towards the Market District, planning to go through that, the graveyard, and finally towards the Palace of the Kings at the far end of the city. As they entered the busy market, however, Terrias' heart sank, and he snarled, "Shit! Get down! Hide!"

"During the day, I doubt that's going to be very effective, but whatever," Synthia said, Terrias guiding them behind a stack of barrels at the edge of the plaza.

The servine chanced peering out from behind their cover, frowning. Up ahead, Alex, Ruby, and Cynder—the latter two in human forms—patrolled the stalls, shopping for groceries, "What the _fuck_ are they doing here?" Terrias asked himself, then, to the Omniversals, "We got company...I don't think they've noticed us, though."

"You kicked his Fire King form's ass, no big deal, so did Piermont: AKA 'psycho god nut'...don't expect the same result against the Phoenix Forme, which he might just be pissed enough to take on. He has literally wiped out entire fucking armies in seconds with that goddamn fire bird."

"If you say so..." Violet responded, not entirely convinced.

"If you saw it, you would understand...just pray that you never get a chance to...it's...it's scary."

"So. Anybody got any ideas?" Synthia asked.

"Yeah...let's try to go back around, we'll take the shorter route, keep a low profile and we _hopefully_ won't attract their attention..." and Terrias nodded towards them, keeping low and slithering out of hiding, hurriedly making his way back to the South Gate.

Now back at the gates, Terrias hastily made his way to the Palace of the Kings, slipping silently through the mighty doors, past the stoic guards, and to the empty throne at the end of the Great Hall. "Where the hell is Ulfric?" Aria asked, looking around.

"Well, surprised to see you around here," a familiar voice began, and Terrias turned to spy Dante leaning in the doorway of the war room adjacent to the Grand Hall, arms crossed at his steel-armored chest. His horned, steel helmet was dangling from one steel-gauntleted hand, and he nodded towards the group, "Commander Vaughn said to look out for you...need I ask why?"

"Told you so," Synthia said.

"Fuck you," the servine growled towards the Omniversal, before turning his attention to the Dragonborn, "A misunderstanding...to put it lightly."

"A misunderstanding, huh?" Dante smirked, "Quite the misunderstanding, if I do say so myself. He told us kill you on sight...and capture the mystics alive so he can have his own way with them."

"We need your help," Terrias replied, "If you and Ulfric are willing to help us...we can clear our name. Just...please don't tell him about us just yet."

Silence for several seconds before, "Very well, then..." and he disappeared into the war room, Terrias and company in tow. Upon entering the chamber, Ulfric, examining a map of the province, plotting out how to drive the Empire out of other nations they still held, turned up to stare the group down, but said nothing.

"We need your help..." Terrias began, but Ulfric said nothing. Dante only smirked, leaning back against the wall on the opposite side of the room, arms still crossed at his chest. The servine glared towards the smugly-smiling Dragonborn before returning his attention to the Jarl, "Have you heard anything about a corpse laying around somewhere that refuses to rot?"

Dante's arrogance noticeably broke, and Terrias geared his question towards the young man, "You know what we're talking about?"

"Why is it important?"

"Because I can't really explain myself to Alex as long as I have some horny, fucking alien prick's soul trapped in my body, and his empty body is apparently hanging around the fuckin' province somewhere."

Ulfric, still saying nothing, raised his eyes towards Dante, who replied, "Katrina mentioned rumors of a cursed body in an abandoned shack north of Whiterun, in the swamps..."

"I told you already, Terrias. I'm not a corpse. Do we really need to have to discussion again?" Alex said.

"Oh, cool. Check it out, Alex. You're a sidequest...those _always_ start with rumors," Violet replied.

Both Ulfric and Dante reacted in shock, with the Dragonborn drawing his weapons—an ebony mace in his right hand, fireball in his left, "What the hell?"

"Easy, easy..." Terrias replied, "Listen, that thing...that's why I need to find that body..." then, "We'll...be on our way now," he backed slowly away towards the door, "Please don't tell Alex," and he hurried back out, the rest of his party following suit.

"Well. That was fun," Alex said.

"You need to fucking learn when's the proper time to speak," Terrias spat, making his way towards the gate, "You could have fucked all of us over."

"I think we just needed to get the point across. You weren't really helping matters. 'Alien prick'? Really, Terrias? I thought we were friends," Alex responded, feigning offense.

"You costed me my best friend," Terrias replied, "You got me exiled from my home, to say we're friends is pushing it. I tolerate you, as I'm sure you do me."

"Well, in that case, I apologize for getting your abusive fuckbuddy to abandon you. Does that make things better?" Alex replied.

Terrias sighed, saying nothing and continuing on, "Let's just...get your body back."

Alex awoke late in the night, aroused by the sound of the door downstairs closing. He sat up in bed, glancing around to notice that someone was missing. He quietly slipped out from beneath Ruby, climbing over Cynder and hurrying out the door, making his way downstairs. He dashed outside, turning to see Ember walking away, "Hey!" he called, jogging over to her, "What are you doing?"

The dragon girl stiffened, turning to face Alex, "I must be going."

"But why? Stick around for awhile."

"I...I can't..." she replied, looking away in shame.

"Why?" the Commander asked.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Why not?"

"Because... _I_ don't even understand...all I know is that I can't say here."

"You don't have to leave, Ember."

"You are kind," the dragon girl replied, "And I wish I could stay...but I can't."

"Is this about Piermont?"

He noticed that she subconsciously placed a paw against her loin cloth, pushing it tighter against her lower belly. Briefly, he could make out the shape of her cloaca beneath the cloth, "No...at least, not exactly. I don't know why, but I just know that I can't stay here."

He grabbed her paw, "Please don't go...you're one of the strongest people I've ever met, we need you, we need your help."

She sighed, looking away with a blush, "I'm sorry...but I can't...goodbye, Alex..." she said, walking away, and the Commander stood alone, watching her go.

Upon returning back to Hjerim, he found Cynder sitting on her haunches in front of the fire, her wings folded at her back, her bright, black scales glowing in the light of the fire. "Oh...Cyn..." Alex began, "Did I wake you?"

She turned to face him, "Everything okay?"

"Good enough, I suppose."

"Where's Ember?"

"She left..." the Commander replied, "She says that she can't stay here."

"Why? Is this about what Piermont did to her?" the she-dragon asked.

"I don't think so...there's something else about her, something I can't quite pinpoint."

"You think she's dangerous?"

"I don't think she's _dangerous_ , but I do think that there's more to her than meets the eye. I don't think even _she_ knows everything that's going on."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure...she seems familiar."

"You think she's _Old Regime_?"

"Honestly? I...I don't really know. She's not any _Old Regime_ I know."

"Indeed she is..." a voice spoke behind them, and Alex turned to see Necrodusk materialize from the air.

"Who is she?" Alex asked.

"Dearest Ophelia..." the archdemon sighed, "The creator of the _Libro Morturom_ , and the one who's spilled blood forged _Bloodreaver_."

"If she's _Old Regime_ , why won't she join us?"

"I am not sure...she's on another celestial order, one that's preventing her from taking part in the Reformation...I don't know what it is, or who assigned it to her, but until this mission is complete, I don't think she can join us."

Cynder frowned, "If she's _Old Regime_...I have to ask...was she one of Messorem's lovers?"

Necrodusk shook his head, "No, she and Messoremel were very close, they were intimate, but lovers they were not. There were some who claimed that Messorem, like Vitam, was an ascended human, and that Ophelia may have been his wife during his days of mortality."

"Is it true?"

"Not that I'm aware of anyway."

Alex sighed, "I wonder if there's a way I can help her."

"Your destinies, at least at this time, are not intertwined. When her mission is complete, she may come back to you, but for now, there is nothing you can do but to let her go."

"We have more important things to worry about anyway..." Cynder began, "If she's supposed to come back, she will...but for now we need to keep going. Piermont, Spyro, and the others will come back any day now...we need to be ready."

"Where do we go?" Alex asked.

"You tell me, _Commander_ ," Cynder chuckled, winking at her human mate, "You're the boss," then, nodding towards the stairs, "Let's go back to bed, huh? We can worry about this tomorrow."

As the sun rose over another clear, cloudless morning, Terrias and the Omniversals arrived at the old shack. Despite the gorgeous day, a thick mist hanged low over the swamp, and the servine looked around, "Cheerful place...let's all hope Katrina was right."

Alex took control over the servine's body, moving towards the door and barging into it, knocking it off its hinges and entering the darkness.

"Question..." Aria began, "When Alex gets his body back...Terrias will stay in one piece...right? He'll go back to normal?"

"Couldn't tell ya. I don't really do this whole body-hopping thing very often. I don't think anything bad will happen, though," Alex responded.

The female servine sighed, "Do whatever you can to ensure he comes out okay."

"Jeez, you're acting like this is Armageddon," Terrias chuckled, "Oh wait..." and his lighthearted tone became much more solemn.

Aria suddenly hugged him tightly, "Do whatever you can to take care of him," the female said.

Once their eyes adjusted to the dismal light, they spied a silhouetted form laying in the middle of the small shack.

"Huh. That was easy. I was expecting a dozen crazy traps. Maybe some Draugr," Violet said.

"Well...this isn't creepy or anything," Terrias replied, crouching beside the body, "How the fuck did you get kicked out of your body?"

"I kicked myself out. Long story, self-sacrifice, all that good shit," Alex responded, "Got literally stabbed in the back, and as a last resort, transferred my consciousness to that medallion and essentially used my body to knock both Kira and Queen Twilight through that portal that for some reason, lead here. All right... now how do I go about this...?"

"Wait...Kira?" Terrias asked, " _Kira_ was involved in all of this!?"

"We're probably thinking of a different Kira," Alex replied, "What's yours like?"

"You know that tsundere harpy chick that's always hanging around Alex? Black feathers, bronze skin, looks like she's Indian or some shit, got the crazy, fiery red hair? She likes calling everybody 'dumbass' and has the spear fetish? Her."

"Huh. Yeah, I wasn't talking about her. I was referring to my great-great grandmother, the first human Omniversal. She kinda went mad with power."

"Vergil mad?" then, "Tell me, what exactly _is_ Vergil? He claims to be a multiversal, but apparently he's not...? I'm confused. Also, who the fuck is Raziel...y'know...aside from apparently me, because that's what Necrodusk says I was called when I was part of Archangel Messorem's _Old Regime_...the only human member in an angelic army, and a human general, known as the Legate Raziel. Since I'm pretty sure we're talking about two different ones...who is yours?"

"I couldn't tell you. Raziel never told us about him. As for who he is... well, he's our great-great grandfather. Supposedly the last multiversal, but I guess he was wrong."

"Yeah, well...when you see Raziel, have him explain Vergil to you, then pay me a visit in a dream or something and tell me who the bastard is."

"At this point, I'm sure you'll end up getting to ask him yourself."

"Fucking hell...I hope he's a lot nicer than Vergil."

"Well, he won't resurrect an ancient evil and try to kill you. So that should instantly make him more appealing."

"Indeed it does. So...uh...how are we gonna do this, mate?"

"Interesting choice of words there, actually... you're probably gonna hate me for this."

"Well, I'm using 'mate' in this regard to indicate companionship...I'll leave the actual...eh...mating to Synthia...and why am I suddenly worried now."

"Well, what do you say, Terrias? Take one for the team?" Faythe said, amused.

"...What do you mean?"

"Kinda slow on the uptake, aren't you, Terrias?" Alex said with a chuckle.

"Sorry, but I'm always weary when someone says I'm not gonna like the next step. It triggers me. So do me a favor, stop beating around the bush, and just fuckin' tell me...what do you mean?"

"I think he's implying that you need to fuck him," Violet said.

Silence for a few moments before, "I'm sorry... _what_!?"

Alex laughed, "Just messing with you. Should be as easy as... this."

Terrias glanced down at his thighs, "You bastard...I better get a handjob after this..." he chuckled, "Or...eh...let me have a few minutes with Synth..."

Alex took control then, interrupting the servine and putting Terrias' hand on his body's chest. The eyes of both bodies began to glow red, and in a flash of heat and light, the servine was sent flying back, crashing through the wall of the shack and into the swamp with an audible ' _oomph_ '.

Alex, back in his own body, stood up, brushing the dust off his pants, "That was fun."

Terrias—still laying in the muck and grime—groaned, "Fucking hell...never again...please," and he rolled onto his side, "God damn it..."

Synthia approached Alex, slapping him across the face.

"Ow! What the hell, Syn?!"

"Didn't think I'd do it, did you?"

Terrias groaned, "God damn it all...I feel like I just got fucking mind-raped...you bastard."

Aria hurried over to her mate's side, helping him to a sitting position. He leaned weakly against her, "Ow...in pain and horny...peculiar combination."

"Well," the female servine chuckled, "I can help at least _one_ of those things later...after you clean up."

Synthia hugged her brother—and lover—tightly, "I was really starting to think I lost you for a while there..."

Faythe and Violet soon joined in on the hug, and Alex replied, "Heh. I'm too much of a badass to go out like that!" Synthia only chuckled.

"So where are you guys going now?" Terrias asked, "I'm guessing you aren't gonna stay very long, huh? Now that you found your brother?" he frowned, and there seemed to be a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. Aria ruffled the fur spiking at the top of his head, kissing his forehead and gently, subtly, passing a three-fingered paw over his crotch. The male servine turned towards his mate, "Don't worry, Aria, everything's still there...or do you really need to see for proof?" he chuckled.

Breaking away from the hug, Synthia said, "Well, lucky for you, we're not going anywhere until our powers come back. And even then, we still need to clear up this multiversal Vergil business. If he is what he says he is, then we pretty much have to stay and kick his ass, cause there's no way you guys are doing that. No offense."

"Until then... wanna go check out Solitude?" Violet suggested to the others.

"Eh. I prefer Riften. I wanna steal some stuff," Alex replied.

To Synthia, Terrias sighed in relief, "None taken..." then, "Thanks. Now...uh...I'm sure you and Alex have some...lost time...to catch up on. I...I have an explanation to give. Take my advice—as a friend, not an enemy—get as far away from here as possible, don't tell me where you're going, don't find or talk to me ever again. I'm suggesting this to protect you. If Alex takes me back, I don't want to be afraid of him grilling or scouring my mind for any sign of where you guys are headed...I know you're innocent, and I'll do whatever I can to try to prove it to him...you can trust me. Just ask Alex...your Alex...we've been close enough that he should know when I'm legit and when I'm not."

"We'll take that under consideration, Terrias, thanks. Goodbye. It was nice being inside you," Alex said.

Terrias grimaced, "Well, you'd hardly be the first...and goodbye..." before he finally parted with them, walking towards Eastmarch Hold, his family in tow.

Blake's rampant cawing awoke Alex from his slumber, and he slithered out of bed, hurrying over to the eaglet, "Shh...shh..." he whispered, petting the creature, "What's wrong, girl?"

The eaglet, calmed by his attention, silenced, and the Commander held a finger to the bird, allowing the creature to hop from her perch onto Alex's hand. From here, Blake hopped onto Alex's shoulder, taking up her usual spot, and he quietly sneaked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him and heading downstairs to the ice box, intending to get the bird something to eat. As he walked across the second-floor armory—currently devoid of any displays, a shuffling and creaking from downstairs caught his ear, and alert, he quietly tip-toed across the floor, poking down the staircase to find nobody there. The creaking sounded again, this time coming from the kitchen, and Alex continued downstairs, taking cover against the wall before peering over inside, eyes widening at who he saw standing there.

"Terrias...?" the Commander began, and the servine stiffened, turning to face the Commander.

"Listen, Alex..." he began, arms raised, "I can explain..." but he was cut off as Alex pulled the servine close in an intimate hug, burying his face in the Pokemon's worn trench coat.

"I'm sorry..." the Commander whispered, "I missed you, my friend..."

Terrias returned the hug, saying, "Alex...Omniversal Alex...he's not inside of me anymore. We returned him to his body, they're running off to Christ knows where...and I decided to come back..." then, "You're not mad?"

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too..." and the Commander startled them both by kissing the servine's mouth.

"I didn't mean to chase you away," Alex began, Terrias still rendered silent and blushing by his friend's display of affection and emotion.

"It's fine..." the servine managed.

The Commander smiled, "Welcome home."

There was a very light knocking on the door then, interrupting their moment, and while Terrias prepared himself a cup of herbal tea, Alex approached the door, opening it to allow a shivering Azazel, with Nick in tow, to enter the room, the latter carrying a large bag.

"Welcome back," the Commander replied, "How's New Alexandria?"

"Still full of bad guys," Nick smirked, " _Lots_ of bad guys. Got you some stuff though."

"We have a surprise for you, too," Azazel said suddenly and excitedly, smiling widely.

"What surprise?" the Commander asked, and the goat boy slipped back outside once again. When the door opened and Alex saw who was waiting on the other side, his jaw dropped and his eyes watered, "Zinnia..."

The girl—dirty and grimy, but otherwise appearing healthy, even if exhausted—smiled warmly towards her old friend, "Did you miss me?"


	20. Chapter XIX: Breakdown

_**Chapter XIX**_ **:**

 **-''Breakdown''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _17 September 2016_ -**

 **- _0902 Hours_ -**

"Y...You're alive..." Alex managed, overjoyed.

Zinnia hugged him tightly, "Yes, I'm alive..."

"I missed you..."

"I missed you, too..." she replied, breaking away from the hug. She was crying, and Alex was at a loss for words, "When I saw you go down I was...I was so scared...so lost."

"I'm here now, Alex," she replied, grabbing both of his hands in hers, "Now we can be together again."

"Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, "No. We were forced to work incredibly hard do build weapons and manufacture things for him...but he didn't touch us. We rarely even saw him."

"Zinnia!" Ruby exclaimed, running down the stairs and pouncing upon the young woman, who only laughed.

"Yes, yes...it's good to see you, too, Ruby."

"You're alive!" Cynder added, appearing on the stairs.

"Indeed I am...I'm happy to see you all."

"Ruby, can you draw some water for a bath?"

The dolphin nodded before leaving.

"Cyn, you mind helping her heat it up?"

"Will do," the dragoness responded before following Ruby.

With Alex preparing a cup of tea and handing it to the girl, he sat across from her, asking, "So...tell me, how's everything look?"

"Not good," Zinnia admitted, "Vergil's holding the city down with an iron fist. Everybody there is either a slave or trapped in their own home. His demons are constantly patrolling the streets...many buildings are in ruins, and he built his castle—a floating fortress—out of the destroyed perimeter walls that once encircled the city. Everything inside is dead."

"Where've you been hiding?"

In the mines, he's been forcing me to mine for ores...which he's done for a _lot_ of Command, including Heinrich and Lucy."

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have left you behind."

"You did what you had to do to keep everyone safe, I don't fault you for that."

"Yeah well...a _lot_ of things have changed since you've last seen us...and not good either."

"What have I missed?"

"To get the short version of the tale: Keisha's dead, Piermont and Spyro are completely insane and are hellbent on killing Ruby and our son, Ruby's pregnant with my kid—don't ask how—we have these bastards called the Omniversals causing trouble around the country, mixing in with _another_ army led by a sick, morbid, twisted little bastard Terrias and I had the displeasure of dealing with in prison. Said bastard kidnapped Tiberius and Athena, sacked our town, and drove us here. Sam's living at this little college in the Applachians...let's see...oh yeah, did I mention that Piermont is batshit insane, a religious zealot, and has turned the _entirety_ of Alpha Company against me? We've been having to keep Ruby hidden because whenever either he or Spyro are around her, they're trying to kill her, I'm not even exaggerating. Oh, Spyro and Cynder have split up, and Cynder and I are back to the grind."

"Shit...I have missed a lot."

"Yeah, and that's just the abridged tale, I'll tell you the full story later...for now, let's get you cleaned up and comfortable, huh?"

After collecting some towels, Alex headed back upstairs to a small room adjacent to his bedroom, where Zinnia was bathing. He knocked lightly on the door, asking through it, "Hey, where do you want these?"

Faintly, on the other side of the door, he could hear her respond, "In here!" and he carefully opened the door, stumbling inside and dropping the towels onto the floor. Upon righting himself to leave, he caught a glance of the nude woman standing in the tub, and he instantly shielded his eyes, apologizing and turning to leave. "What's wrong?" she asked, unaffected.

"Sorry, I'll give you some privacy."

She laughed, "Come on, Alex...it's nothing you've haven't seen before, right?"

"Still kinda inappropriate."

"You didn't think so all those years ago."

The Commander fell silent, lowering his hand to face the girl, who's back was to him, "That was a long time ago, Zinnia."

"You say that as if you're ashamed..." she replied, and she turned in such a way that he could see her entire front. Her breasts, still rather small and having not grown much since she was younger, were still perky, the nipples erect from the temperature, and the smooth slit of her vagina peered out from a light covering of shaved pubic hair. Her hygiene had clearly improved since the night they had spent together, as not a single hair stood out on her legs or armpits, and even her bush, although still textured, was now kept short and trim. She shook her head, her long, dark-brown, almost black hair sliding around her skinny form to cover her breasts.

"Well...I thought our relationship moved on, y'know? Or rather, we didn't even _have_ a relationship."

She sighed, washing her hair and asking, "Have you thought about what would happen if we decided to form a relationship? I mean, something real."

"I thought you didn't want that."

"I was sixteen..." she added, "And stupid..." then, "Are you still single? I mean...in terms of human females?"

"Yes..." he replied, "I haven't tried to get close to another human being since everything with Sarah fell apart."

She nodded, seemingly absent, then said, "I regret my decision that night...turning you away, deciding not to come with you when you offered...but most importantly, I regret trivializing you as an object of sexual gratification...I didn't realize just how much I cared about someone until the day I watched your helicopter leave...I want to apologize."

"No reason to," he replied, "I wasn't offended."

She nodded, and although she had falling silent, she still seemed liked there was something on her mind.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing important," she replied.

"Don't lie to me, Zinnia, please."

Silenced hanged between them for several minutes before, "The day that Vergil attacked New Alexandria...I was building up the courage to ask you out on a date..." she frowned, "Every day, I regret my decision to not pursue anything more with you...you're the only person that I've ever felt...close to. Now, I'm afraid that I'm too late...especially with Ruby and Cynder."

"Why do you still love me? After I deceived you and lied to you about my identity."

"Because you opened my eyes to just how bad the LKA was...and you threw me a lifeline that I stubbornly refused. Ever since you caught me in the forest that night...I was battling with my emotions...I had never met someone who didn't try to mock me or who wasn't disgusted when they found out about my interests. The night I asked you to sleep with me...I was trying to make sense of what I was feeling...it was something I had never experienced before. In your arms, I felt so loved and accepted, it felt _right_...and I realized that I loved you. I was afraid to face these feelings, that's why I rejected your offer, but now that I've finally found you again, now that we finally have a chance _to_ be together...are you still interested in me?"

The Commander said nothing, only looked towards the ground, unsure of how to respond.

"I don't care if you keep Cynder and Ruby."

He turned towards her again, "I'm in enough trouble as it is with everybody knowing I'm sleeping around with _two_ animals."

"You're not interested..." and she seemed genuinely disappointed and disheartened.

"It's not that..." he replied, "It's just that I...I'm kinda in a bind right now."

She climbed out of the tub then, wrapping her arms around his head and bringing them together in a passionate kiss. When she finally broke it, she was blushing, embarrassed, "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

He only responded by kissing her back, gently scratching her bare back and hugging her, "Will it make you happy?"

"Don't force yourself to do something you don't want..." she said, "That was the root of many mistakes I made."

"It's not that I don't want anything...I _do_ want you...the problem is that I'm just...I gotta come to terms with the fact I'm juggling a third partner..." then, "How about this, consider us an unofficial couple."

She smiled widely, kissing him forcefully, "We can do that," and he only smiled in response, breaking the embrace and heading back to the door.

"Is there anything else you need?"

She shook her head, "Nothing right now...except you."

He chuckled, "Yeah, well...I'm definitely not at that point yet where I'm wanting to jump right into sex...that'll have to wait. You waited for ten years for another pounding, I'm sure you can wait a little more time..." and he finally left the room, closing the door behind him and standing in place for a few moments, lost in thought, his heart racing. Were they really dating now?

He briefly recalled his disastrous engagement to Sarah, and he frowned at the thought...if he and Zinnia were to pursue something more, would they face the same outcome? The girl was bestial, and it was obvious that, although she no longer mated with animals, it was an interest that hadn't exactly died. He had the strangest feeling that not only was she perfectly fine and accepting of his existing relationships with Cynder and Ruby, but she would probably try to worm her way into some sort of carnal agreement with one or both of them as well. He then remembered how his mother had all but disowned him after she discovered that he was bestial, and that his relationship with Sarah had fallen apart. Would dating Zinnia help rebuild that bridge? He was positive that the girl would have no qualms in lying about Alex still being involved with Cynder and Ruby, especially considering that the young woman would likely be involved to some degree as well, and with his mother's obsessive quest for him to abandon his two mates and settle himself into a normal relationship with a normal, human female and what would probably equate to a lifetime of prayers of forgiveness for his sins against God and nature, he had the queerest feeling that dating Zinnia—and building up to marriage—would be a win/win situation for all parties involved. His mother got grandchildren and the pride to say her son was in a happy marriage to a normal girl, Zinnia was allowed to curb her taboo fetishes in secret, and he was allowed to continue his relationship with Ruby and Cynder—even if in secret. It was definitely a palpable idea.

He closed his eyes, leaning back against the door and remembering the night that he had slept with the girl—the night he had lost his virginity. Casting a glance back at the closed door, he smiled. He would probably talk to Ruby and Cynder about it first, and once he had clearance from them, he would consider officially confirming that he and Zinnia were a couple. A relationship with the girl would also benefit him in the way it would be structured. She was very independent, had high self-esteem, preferred to be left to her own devices, had a moderately high libido, and a preference for little formality and serious engagement. She would be perfectly satisfied with some attention every once in awhile and an occasional bout of sex, with little else. This kind of relationship was perfect for someone who was invested in his more...wild...lovers than those of his own species...a beard of sorts to hide the truth of his sexual preference, which would help him in a world that was becoming increasingly scrutinizing of the actions of Alpha Company. Even if they already knew he was involved with his mates, this gave him a chance to convince the public that he had 'grown out of it' and had decided to settle down with an actual, compatible partner, while still enabling him to continue his more serious relationships in secret.

That evening, as Alex headed downstairs to go for a walk, he saw Jazz enter the house with Azazel, carrying groceries. "Oh, Commander," the rabbit began, "I've got some news for you."

"What?"

"Was down in the market, kept hearing tail about some courier heading towards Solitude. He's currently down in Whiterun and claims to know where the Omniversals are...considering Terrias refuses to share."

"That's because I _don't_ know where they went," the servine, sitting in front of the fire, replied, "As soon as she got her brother back, they sent me away and ran off to Christ knows where."

"Well, this courier claims to know where they are."

"Where is he?" the Commander asked, baring his teeth.

"Bannered Mare, over in Whiterun..." but the rabbit's voice trailed as Alex shoved past him, "Get ready to leave, we're going to have a chat with him."

"Now hold on a second..." Terrias began, "Don't you think this is a little ridiculous? The Omniversals are innocent...they had nothing to do with the attack on Vernhelm."

"How else did both _Filios Diaboli_ AND Sonichu's forces find out where we are!?"

"Well, have you forgotten that Sonichu burned Riverwood to the ground? They've been in the area for much longer than the Omniversals were...my guess is that Sonichu somehow found out where we were located, maybe told _Filios Diaboli_ in the process."

"They hate each other."

"Then maybe Sonichu overheard from Whiterun that we were in the area...especially after that bullshit that happened with the thralls awhile back, and the whole tax issue. I wouldn't doubt if that's also how Vergil found us...I doubt we wiped out every single thrall there was that infiltrated Whiterun. You're just looking for an excuse to continue this ridiculous war against the Omniversals...they're innocent Alex."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've been hanging around them lately? Trust me, Alex, please...they're not against us. They may be assholes, yes, but they have nothing against us. Synthia was just looking for her brother, and now they're trying to figure out how to get back home. You should know that feeling."

"Can't say I do."

"That's unfortunate."

"It's getting kinda late right now..." Jazz interrupted, "Don't you think we should wait until tomorrow?"

"And give this courier a chance to leave?"

"We have no guarantee that he's actually there. It's just some rumors that I heard at the market, this guy sheltering in Whiterun who claims to be working with them...cause apparently most of the province is worried about them, too. Besides, I doubt this guy is just gonna up and leave in the middle of the fuckin' night, we'll head down there tomorrow morning, in the air, shouldn't take longer than an hour."

"In other news," Terrias began after they had fallen silent, "Where's Zinnia?"

"Resting," the Commander responded, "I don't think she's had a good night's sleep since Vergil captured her..." then, "Oh, and Cynder, Ruby, can I talk to you guys in private?"

"Sure..." Cynder replied, and the dolphin nodded, "Everything okay?"

"Walk with me."

Walking through the empty street of Whiterun, Alex turned to his mates, asking, "I have a question for you two...thought I'd get your opinion on something..."

"Anything," Ruby replied.

"I was talking to Zinnia earlier, she's interested in hooking up with me, and she's fine with me sticking around with you guys. I was considering taking her up on her offer, if anything to use her as a cover to the public, to make them think that I've outgrown my bestiality and settled down with an actual woman...it will keep everybody out of our lives, and hopefully the malice towards us will fade away. I'd still be mating with you two, but we'd be doing it in secret, without anyone else knowing."

"That's kinda mean to Zinnia, isn't it?" Cynder asked, "I mean, if she actually loves you..."

The Commander shrugged, "Unfortunately, and no offense to her...but that bird has flown. She had the opportunity a long time ago to pursue something more, and she turned against it. At least, going this route, I can still stay with you guys, while everybody else thinks I'm done with you."

"What about her?" Ruby asked, "You're not just going to ignore her, are you?"

"Thankfully, she's not very high maintenance...she never _has_ been. A few loving words on occasion, some lovey-dovey shit here and there, maybe sex every once in awhile...she's happy. Besides, knowing her, she'll probably want me to share you guys with her."

"It still seems kinda mean..." the she-dragon began, "I mean...it just sounds like you're taking advantage of her."

"Perhaps...but that's why I've not said anything official, and I'd consider talking to you guys about it."

"Alex..." Cynder sighed, "We destroyed your relationship with Sarah...I don't think I can carry that guilt again with Zinnia. If you two decide to get together, I...I don't want any part in it."

"She doesn't care."

"So she says...but Sarah said the same thing, remember?"

The Commander fell silent.

"I think you two should get together...but it's somewhere that I can't follow you, or rather, that I'm too guilty _to_ follow you. Ultimately, it's up to you."

"What about us?" Ruby asked, sounding concerned.

"I'll still be with you, Ruby," he said, "Only difference will be that we'll be a little quieter about it."

"Are you ashamed of me?"

"No! No, no, no...it's not that at all! It's just...things are getting really complicated in terms of the public's support of us, especially since my bestiality is well known around the world. By going this route, the world will think that you and I have stopped mating, they'll think I've moved on with Zinnia, but I wouldn't _actually_ have stopped mating with you, it'll just be a secret, something between you and me only."

The dolphin still seemed worried about this, and Alex attempted to soothe her by scratching her head, "Ruby," he began, voice soft and wearing a smile, "I love you, nothing can ever change that...you mean the world to me... _both_ of you do...but the world's opinion on us will only get worse. We need to restore our public face, especially since I'm a fugitive...the only way to do that is to make them believe that I'm done being a creep."

"But you're not a creep," Ruby replied,, " _I_ love you! They should know that I'm perfectly okay with us being together!"

"I know, Ruby...but most of the world still sees Alpha Company as a bunch of animals...and there's no way we can change that."

"So everyone still thinks I'm a stupid fish..." the dolphin replied, defeated, "Even with all this talk of the 'Ruby Clause' and all this other law stuff."

"Yes..." the Commander replied, "Unfortunately, we're not gonna change everybody's beliefs. I promise you that if Zinnia and I get together, it won't affect our relationship one bit...all it will do is make the world _think_ that I'm normal now, so they'll stop staring at us all the time."

Alex cast a glance towards Cynder, who seemed to want to say something, but maintained her silence.

"Something you want to add, Cyn?"

"No, I've said my piece."

"What do you think I should do, Ruby?"

The dolphin fell silent for several moments before, "If you think that it will make things easier for us," she smiled, "Then I say you should go for it. Just...please don't forget about me..."

He chuckled, petting her affectionately, "I'll never forget about you, my little gemstone."

Her expression brightened tremendously, and she shyly blushed.

"Anyway, it's getting kinda chilly out here, whaddya say we head back, huh?"

Upon finally arriving back at Hjerim, Ruby was the first to sink into the warm depths. Just as Alex was about to step through the doorway, Cynder, standing behind him, called, "Hold on Alex..."

He paused in place, turning to face her, "What's up?"

She nodded back, and he followed her to an isolate corner around the side of the house, "Listen, Alex...I'm worried about this whole thing."

"Why?"

"Because I know you...once you and Zinnia start pretending to be serious...things _will_ get serious, and you'll forget us...that's what happened with Dash after Ruby entered the picture."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying be _very_ careful that you don't forget Ruby, like I'm almost positive that you will. I can take it, Dash can take it...but if you forget about Ruby..." the she-dragon shrugged, "You know as well as _I_ do that the girl won't survive."

"I won't forget about her."

"Yes you will..." Cynder pressed, "And that's why I'm worried."

"So...you don't think I should go for it?"

"Do whatever you want," the dragon said, "It's your life and I can't stop you...but just remember that if you forget about Ruby, if you stray from her...the girl won't be able to handle it. She's gotten stronger, true, but you're still a crutch to her."

Alex sobered, "I won't forget about her."

"I wish I could believe you, Alex..." the dragoness sighed, "Anyway, that's all I have to say."

"Goodnight, Cyn."

"Goodnight, Alex..."

Early the next morning, the Commander scaled Dash's back, Jazz and Terrias mounting Cynder. Ruby was staying back with the rest of Alex's loyalists, still the only ones within Windhelm, since none of the other members had seemed to realize that the Commander and his allies had left the university. "Right, so where's this courier?" the Commander asked.

"Staying at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun," Jazz replied, "At least, that's the rumor, we'll see for sure."

"Take care of Ruby," Alex said to the rest of his group, before turning in his seat to face forward and scratching Dash's mane, "Let's go."

Within a minute, Cynder and Dash were soaring through the skies, arching high above the city—high enough that the crowning sun was barely visible on the horizon—heading west towards Whiterun. As they flew above the hilly, taiga-covered province below, they remained silent, saying not a word between them.

Finally, Terrias spoke, "Any leads on where Tiberius and Athena are being kept?"

"No," the Commander replied, "Not yet."

"We've been preoccupied with other matters," Jazz said, "Most recently being Vergil's daughter."

"Vergil has a daughter?" the servine asked, surprised.

"Yes," Alex answered, "A girl named Akumi Satō, Sam informed on us about this girl and sent us to Tokyo to try and bag her. Apparently our old multiversal pal wants her head on a pike."

"What happened?"

"We found ourselves heavily outnumbered," the Commander responded, "When we went to scout out the compound she lives in...we were ambushed by _Filios Diaboli_ , ended up fighting them, the Tokyo police, the Japanese military, _and_ Sonichu's boys."

"We wouldn't have made it out without Ember's help," Jazz added, "That's why I hate to see her go...she's strong, we need someone like her in our constantly dwindling party."

"You and me both, mate..." Alex sighed.

"You have feelings for her, too?" Terrias asked with light humor.

"No, but I _do_ care about her safety...Necrodusk says she was once a member of Messorem's _Old Regime—_ specifically the elusive Ophelia, and that although she and Messorem weren't lovers, they had a close, intimate, but platonic relationship."

"Ophelia...ain't that the girl that made the book that Deitus was imprisoned in?"

"The _Libro Morturom_ , and yes. Apparently her sacrificed blood was used to forge _Soulreaper_ and _Bloodreaver_."

"Question..." Jazz began, "When _are_ we going to head back to Tokyo and try to pull Miss Satō out of there?"

"As soon as we can figure out a way of doing it."

"Keep in mind that the longer we stall, the higher the risk and the greater chance of Vergil getting to her first...if he hasn't already."

"Any idea why Vergil wants her dead?"

"Because, apparently, there's something about her that we can use to nail Vergil's balls to the wall...he knows this, and he wants to eliminate the threat before we catch on."

Below them, the mighty walls of Whiterun appeared through the clouds, and Alex called for Dash to land, Cynder closing in behind them. Upon landing just past the gates, Alex dismounted the pegasus, who then asked, "'Kay...so where's the Bannered Mare?"

"Down the road a ways," Jazz replied, heading forward, the rest following closely behind.

"Any idea what our guy looks like?"

"Not a clue," the rabbit responded, "I'm sure if we ask around, it shouldn't be too hard to find him."

Saying nothing, Alex reached into his cloak, withdrawing his AK47. Noticing this, Dash asked, "Hey...what are you doing, Alex?"

"Gonna find this bastard, gonna make sure he talks."

"I don't think violence is the answer..."

"Nonsense..." the Commander chuckled darkly, "If he complies, we won't have to worry about any _violence_."

The pegasus exchanged uneasy glances with the rest of the party, but otherwise said nothing. Upon reaching the doors to the tavern, Alex kicked them open, storming inside and cocking his weapon, "All right, which of you cunts is a courier heading to Solitude?"

The cheerful bard stopped playing, silence fell over the chatty bar, and all eyes were turned to the new arrivals, including the young, bearded man with the long hair, black bear cloak, and strange weapon currently waving around in the air.

"Let me ask again," the Commander growled, "There is a courier heading to Solitude...where is he? Somebody talk, or I'm gonna start putting you fuckers into the ground."

A large, burly knight in iron armor stood up from his seat, finishing his piece of bread and storming towards the Commander, withdrawing a steel sword, "I suggest you think twice before you make threats like that, Outsider."

"Really?" the Commander chuckled, "Well, I've always been told that I need to learn to keep my mouth shut..." and in a flash of light and a brief staccato of fire, the knight fell back through a table, clutching his pierced armor, his life's blood oozing out from several matching holes now dotting around it. The crowd screamed and fled, and Alex turned his weapon towards the ceiling, firing another series of shots into the air.

"Jesus Christ!" Dash spat, "What the _hell_ are you doing, Alex? Stop it!"

"WHERE IS HE!?" Alex roared, spittle flying from his lips, "TELL ME OR THE NEXT FUCKER I GET MY HANDS ON IS GONNA HAVE ONE _HELL_ OF A TIME!"

"Settle down, Alex!" Cynder exclaimed, but she remained ignored.

Civilans who hadn't tried to flee hit the ground, cowering on their knees with their hands over the heads. Sobbing and sniffling were the only sounds to fill the room, and the Commander strolled across the hastily-crafted oak floor, each step from his combat boots ringing out a dull, high-pitched thud that shook the floor. "Fuckin' hell, are you bastards too stupid to understand what I'm saying? Allow me to say it a little more clearly...where is the man riding to Solitude? Tell me, or I'm gonna start killing people."

After several more moments of silence, and just as the Commander turned his gun towards the female bartender, standing stiff and defiant, training the ACOG scope of his weapon onto her, one scrawny man dressed in crimson rags and a leather tunic shot up from his seat, shoving his way past Alex and storming out the door. With an animalistic snarl, the Commander straightened himself and took off after the thin, pallid man. He barged through the door, running through the steadily brightening streets, in pursuit of the courier, now sprinting towards the gates.

" _He's running to warn them!"_ an unseen Zack whispered in Alex's ear.

"STOP!" Alex ordered, firing his weapon from the hip towards the courier, only to find he was out of shots. The courier, eyes sunken into his face, sickly, ashen-gray skin stretched tautly over his skull, shoved his way through the gates of the city and into the wilderness, making his way to the nearby stables, the Commander right on his heels. He quickly mounted a horse, despite the protests from the stablehand, kicking the beast's flank and sending it racing down the road. "DASH!" Alex roared, "ON ME!"

"Alex!" the pegasus began, catching up to him, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing!?"

"Shut up and ride!" he growled, mantling onto the pegasus in a swift, fluid motion and wrapping his arms around her furry neck, riding her bareback in quick pursuit of the courier. As the courier quickly gained ground on them, his black steed blending in with the encompassing darkness, Alex hissed, "We're losing him! Pick up the pace, Dash!"

" _He's getting away...you need to kill him before he tells them!"_

Finally, once they passed through the clearing encircling Whiterun and into the taigas and mountain passes west of Whiterun Field, they managed to close the gap between them and the courier, and Alex carefully stood upon the pegasus, just as she rode tirelessly alongside the courier's stolen mount. His wild, terrified eyes snapped towards the Commander, and he cried out, covering his face with his hands just as Alex leaped off of Dash's back, tackling the courier and knocking him out of the saddle. The two, tangled together, rolled several times down the road and down a hill to the side until coming to a rough landing in the underbrush below. The courier's horse let loose a terrified whinny and continued racing down the street, disappearing in a mountain pass, and Alex—having landed on top—straddled the horrified courier, a blabbering mess speaking incomprehensible gibberish. The Commander tore his combat knife from its sheathe at his waist, holding the sharp blade against the courier's throat, "The Ominversals!" he roared, "They contacted you! Where are they going!?"

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" the man managed.

" _He's lying to you."_

"LIAR!" Alex hissed, pressing his knife even tighter against the man's throat, drawing a thin line of red.

"P-P-Please! I-I-I don't know what you're talking about! Have mercy, please!"

"WHERE ARE THEY!?"

" _Kill him..."_

"P-Please! I have a family! I-I-I have a wife and seven children to feed! Please don't kill me!"

"Last chance! WHERE ARE THEY!?"

" _He won't comply...kill him. He's the enemy."_

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! P-Please!"

"RAAAAGH!" and with a maddened screech, the Commander raised the knife above his head and jammed it into the man's throat, stabbing him several times repeatedly, vision flared red in anger. The courier's screams of terror devolved into primal screams of agony, before these devolved into bloody gargles and gasps of breath until, at last, he fell silent. Still, Alex continued stabbing the body, until at least four dozen separate puncture wounds mangled the corpse's face and body into an unrecognizable mess of blood, cloth, and gore.

" _Well done, Ali..."_

"ALEX!" Dash hissed, and just as Alex came to his senses, he felt Jazz firmly grab onto the collar of his cloak and throw him several meters away from the body, coming to a harsh landing upon the frozen ground with enough force to knock the breath out of him. His vision flared dangerously towards blackness, and as everything—knocked out of its outline, slowly began to clarify and return to form, he saw Jazz standing over him, the blade of his sword pressed against the Commander's throat, standing statuesque with a blank expression.

"Get off me, insect!" Alex snarled.

"What the _fuck_ is _WRONG_ with you!?" Dash exclaimed, trotting towards him, out of breath, "Have you lost your fucking marbles!?"

"He was working with the enemy!" Alex hissed through his teeth.

Jazz suddenly held a folded scroll up, seeming to have pulled it from nowhere. In full view of the Commander, the rabbit unrolled the parchment, saying, "This is all the courier had on him. It's a telegram to a grieving family in Solitude announcing the inheritance their recently deceased patriarch left them..." he folded it again, tossing it to the ground, "The rumors were just that...and _you_ just murdered an innocent man, in cold blood."

"He ran from me!" Alex roared, "He wouldn't answer me! How was I supposed to know he wasn't going to alert the enemy!"

"For fuck's sake, Alex," Terrias began, "You scared the ever-loving piss out of him...I would have ran, too!"

"Then you'd be in the exact same boat as that sorry bastard!"

Jazz shook his head, before abruptly kicking the Commander onto his stomach. In a swift, fluid motion, the rabbit had climbed on top of him, forcing his hands together behind his back and tying them in place with a rope, picking up Alex in a fireman carry and tossing him painfully over Dash's back. Dash, get him back to Windhelm..." then to Cynder, bending down to pick up the scroll, "Cyn...take me to Solitude so I can deliver this letter."

The she-dragon, still traumatized by what she had just witnessed, nodded anxiously, "Y...Yeah, okay."

The rabbit then turned to face Alex's fresh kill, kneeling at the corpse's side and placing a furry paw gently upon the body's chest, "May God above grant you an easy passage..." before he stood once more, mounting the horrified Cynder, who soon took to the skies, racing northwest.

"What are you doing!?" Alex hissed, squirming in place. Terrias climbed onto Dash, tying the Commander down to keep him mounted.

"You're fucking insane, and too goddamn dangerous," Dash spat, "You're gonna stay that way until you calm the fuck down."

"I'll kill you all unless you set me loose this instant!" he snarled, foaming at the mouth.

" _You did well...they simply don't understand. They're too short-sighted...but not you, Ali. You acted correctly. That man was a threat...that man was the_ enemy _."_

"You'll thank me later," Terrias replied, stealing Alex's AK47 and smacking the butt of the weapon against the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

"What the hell are we gonna do with him, Terrias?" Dash asked, deeply concerned, "I hope he didn't just start a fucking incident...we can't afford to set Ulfric against us."

"I don't think Ulfric will go against us...but I suggest we don't go about bragging about what just happened...pretend it never happened."

"Yeah? Tell that to my dreams."

Terrias sighed, "If you're not used to the nightmares by now, Dash...you better start...they're only gonna get worse."


	21. Chapter XX: Cain and Abel

_**Chapter XX**_ **:**

 **-''Cain and Abel''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _09 September 2016_ -**

 **- _0912 Hours_ -**

" _I'm starting to wonder if Piermont has any credibility on his claims that Alex has lost his sanity..."_ Rapid said, his voice emerging from somewhere in the darkness that Alex found himself in, " _Not that I support anything he's doing of course..."_

Finally, Alex was roused from the darkness by a number of low whispers, and he slowly opened his eyes, grunting in agony as daggers of sunlight shined into his eyes. His head ached and throbbed, he was aware of the feeling that he was being watched, and he could feel Zack's presence among those observing him.

" _Zack..._ " he began in a sad, pleading tone, " _Zack...what's happening to me?_ " at last, he was able to look around him, noticing that he was surrounded by dozens of curious citizens, staring at him as if he was an animal in a zoo exhibit. _Where am I?_ He was in Windhelm, somehow he got from Whiterun to here. His arms ached for some reason, and upon looking towards them, he was startled to see that he was trapped in a stockade in the center of the town, surrounded on all sides by people. _What...? What's going on?_

He tried to break free, but found that he was trapped, his entire body ached and burned from hours of unconsciousness in this awkward position. His mutations had been suppressed, and he felt incredibly weak. Alex clenched his fists, struggling against his binds, but finding that he had very little leeway to play with. "Alex...?" a small voice began, and the Commander instantly turned to see Cynder slowly and cautiously approach him. He struggled once more against his blinds, casting her a look of confusion, pleading for help with his eyes as his mouth refused to cooperate. "Alex, are you in there?" she asked, crouching beside him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, and he sighed in relief as Cynder extended a bottle of water towards him, helping him to drink. When at last his parched throat had been satisfied, he asked, "What happened to me?"

"A question I would like answered as well..." the she-dragon asked sadly, "What happened?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Do you remember anything?"

He shook his head, "All...fuzzy. I can't think of anything."

Cynder gently extended her paw to him, and the Commander flinched like an abused animal in a cage before reluctantly allowing the she-dragon to rest her paw on him. She closed her eyes, and he could see a few tears squeeze out from them and down her cheeks. After a brief electric shock, several strange memories from her perspective flashed through his brain, and he gasped at the grisly scene of the entranced Alex huddled over an unrecognizable corpse, stabbing it repeatedly, each thrust enunciated with a furious grunt. Cynder pulled out of his mind, breaking off her touch and opening her tearstained eyes.

"Cyn...I-I didn't do that..."

"Yes you did..." she replied, gazing sympathetically at him, "Alex...there is something very, very wrong...you need help before you snap again. I would hate for you to hurt Ruby again."

"What is there for me to _do_ , Cyn? I have no access to medicine here."

"Perhaps when we take back New Alexandria..." she hugged him, "Listen, I thought I should tell you...Piermont and Spyro have finally caught up to us. They're in the city...Ruby is staying hidden, she's safe for now."

"Cynder...please, take care of yourself, take care of Ruby."

"Take care of _yourself_ , Alex..." and without another word, the she-dragon stood upright, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

The Commander chuckled, nodding towards the stockade, "Find a way to get me out of here..."

Cynder smiled sadly, "I'll see what I can do, love..." and without another word, she trotted away, leaving the Commander alone.

He remained there, trying to ignore the roars and catcalls of the surrounding civilians. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to drown the world out around him. "Alex?" and the Commander's eyes opened again, seeing Zinnia running towards him. Terrias approached as well, but he paused at the end of the crowd, arms crossed at his chest, looking upon his friend in sadness. "I heard what happened..." the young woman said, hugging him tightly, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know what happened...am I going insane?"

"No..." she replied, caressing his cheek and hugging him, "You will be fine..." then to Terrias, "Can you help me set him free?"

Terrias took a step forward, opening his mouth to speak before he was interrupted by Alex, who said, "No...not until I figure out what the hell is going on with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes...until I figure out what's happening to me."

Casting him a sympathetic smile, Zinnia stood up, heading back to Herjim, and Terrias, eyes following her until she had disappeared around the corner, finally knelt beside Alex. "Is Zack still haunting you?" he asked in a low whisper.

The Commander nodded, "Yes...I don't know why."

"Piermont's corruption may be starting to get to you."

"No...no, no, no...Terrias, listen to me. You need to promise me something. If Piermont's corruption is starting to affect me, please make sure I don't do anything to hurt Ruby or my son...kill me if you have to."

"I promise, Alex..." the servine replied, and looking around to wait for a point when no one paid them any mind, he kissed his friend.

As he stood, preparing to head back home, a drunken, loud voice called over the crowd, "Well, well, well! Look what we have here!"

"Shit..." Terrias hissed, eyes snapping to where a drunken Piermont shoved his way through the crowd, shaking a bottle of mead he held.

"Great Commander Alex Vaughn, the craziest motherfucker in the world..." and with a forced, fake laugh, he tossed his empty bottle aside and swiftly pulled a Desert Eagle from his jacket, pressing the barrel of the gun against the Commander's head. His wild, emerald eye glared at the incarcerated young man, and the human-form dragon hissed, breath reeking of alcohol, "You know, give me three good reasons why I shouldn't put a bullet in your _fuckin'_ head!"

"This isn't you, Piermont..." the Commander replied in a hoarse voice, "I know you're in there somewhere..."

"Oh yeah, I'm in here all right...and I've had enough of your goddamn bullshit. After what you did to me in North Carolina, then you turn around and just leave Spyro and I behind...and you call _ME_ the asshole!"

"You're a monster..." Alex snarled.

Terrias, standing out of Alex's eyesight, nodded for Piermont to approach him, "I'll be right back," the dragon chuckled, standing up and strolling away.

The servine pulled him aside,, saying, "You want to keep him alive, he's our only access to Ruby."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I've been nothing but _good_ to you, I've given you everything you've asked of me. Please listen to my advice..."

The dragon fell silent for several moments before grunting, "Fine, I'll take your advice..." and he clapped the servine's shoulder, "Keep doing what you're doing...get close to our furry little cunt over there and his fucked-up fish..." then, approaching Alex again, "Now, back to our good friend Alexander Vaughn...the man who wants the whole world to worship the ground he walks on. In case you motherfuckers don't realize, Mister Vaughn here murdered a man outside of Whiterun. He tried to kill his brethren when they went to stop him...and this is why he's here in the stockade, a clown to all you easily-amused imbeciles. _THIS_ is why nobody should trust him, why nobody should believe him, why nobody should lower their defenses around him. Oh, and you might want to keep an eye on your pets while he's here...you'll probably wake up one night to find him balls deep in them."

"Piermont, stop this!" Alex roared.

"No... _you_ should stop this!" he roared, "I'm sick and _fucking_ tired of listening to your goddamn bitching and moaning, I'm tired of listening to your bullshit excuses! You are selfish, arrogant, and an insult to your race! You would choose your own family over the existence of the fucking universe! You would trade your goddamn girlfriend for all the other families who will be destroyed!"

"You don't understand!"

"No, _YOU_ don't understand!" Piermont hissed, "Your son KILLED MY MATE!"

"It isn't Deitus!" Alex screamed.

"It _is_ Deitus! Your bastard child carries the soul of that immortal monster!"

"You're insane!"

"Then perhaps we _both_ are..." Piermont glared, snarling maliciously, "It suits our destiny fairly well, don't you agree? Dragon and rider, born together, only to _die_ together..." and he raised his remaining hand, summoning a small flame in the palm that quickly grew in size, "This has been a long time coming..." and with his emerald eye snapping open, he launched the fireball at Alex, who cried out and pulled away from the explosion of heat and light. Noticing that the explosion had damaged the shackle, he tore his hand free, quickly pulling out his bionic arm and rolling out of the way of another fireball. Now free, Alex leaped onto his feet, getting into a fighting stance. The human-form dragon laughed, "Pathetic! You're can't hurt me! You're weak, insignificant...and your _loyal allies_ stripped you of your mutations!" and he launched another series of fireballs at the Commander, who rolled out of the way of each of them, taking cover behind the stone wall of a building. "Running and hiding from battle..." the dragon casually strolled towards where the Commander was seeking cover, "What you've gotten shockingly good at. What happened to the _mighty Son of Satan_ , who would stand and fight to the death instead of running when the odds were set against him?"

"Goddammit, Piermont! STOP THIS!"

"I won't stop this until I avenge my Cherub!" and he launched a powerful fireball towards the wall, blowing it out from behind the Commander and knocking Alex onto his stomach. He picked himself up, coughing against the dust rolling down his throat and drifting into his eyes before he bore his teeth and quickly rotated towards the approaching Piermont, fireball glowing in his one remaining hand.

"I've had enough of this!" Alex roared, leaping after and tackling Piermont to the ground, letting loose a relentless barrage of punches and kicks. All while they fought, the human-form dragon laughed.

"You're weak!" and he grabbed Alex's one remaining hand, twisting it completely around. Alex cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground. His head was forced up to face the human-form dragon, who then uppercutted Alex, sending him flying back several feet to the ground. The Commander tried to crawl away from the dragon, but Piermont only continued to approach, preparing to launch another ball of flame at the cowering Alex, "It's time to pay for your sins!"

Just as he was about to attack, a series of throwing knives appeared from seemingly out of thin air, slicing across the human-form dragon's arms and sounding a low, guttural growl from Piermont's throat. His wild eye quickly scanned the skies, searching for the source of the interruption, before a human form slid down from the rooftop of the burning building they were fighting around, and Zinnia knocked Piermont into the ground, smashing his head against the curb with an audible crack and leaving him laying in the middle of the street, still and unmoving. Zinnia picked herself up, quickly running to Alex and helping him onto his feet, "Alex!" she asked, bright brown eyes glowing with worry, "Are you okay!?"

"Zinnia..." he groaned, and the young woman cradled him.

"Let's get you back to Hjerim."

As they walked back towards the house, having left the human-form dragon in the street, Zinnia said, "I was afraid to believe you...Piermont was always one of my favorites in your little clique."

"He's changed...we all have."

She stopped him there, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Alex..."

The Commander shrugged, "Don't apologize...this is how things have been for awhile now."

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine...once I dose up again."

She smiled sympathetically at him, "I guess I'm your guardian angel then, huh?"

The Commander chuckled, "Indeed you are..." and she stroked his cheek, pulling his head close and kissing his mouth.

Breaking away, she looked away with a blush, laughing nervously, "I...I can't believe we're finally together...like, officially."

"Neither can I...I'm happy."

"I'm just glad that you didn't hold that silly mistake against me."

"I missed you Zinnia..."

"I missed you, too, Alex..." and she slithered her hand in his, tangling her fingers together with his. As they walked down the street together, the Commander glanced out of the corner of his eye, noticing how genuinely happy the young woman seemed to be. It felt strange, an actual hand in his, feeling fingers intertwined with his...he closed his eyes again, remembering their special night together, all those years ago. He sighed, opening his eyes again and looking towards the dreary gray skies, startled when Zinnia said, "I love you, Alex."

"I...love you, too..." he replied, somehow feeling awkward to utter such a phrase. To him, it didn't seem to hold as much power anymore, maybe because he had used it with different females across all the years he had taken advantage of his female companions. He silently promised himself that he would treat Zinnia as she should be treated, he didn't want to lose her like he did Sarah. He could tell by the way she grabbed his hand tightly in hers, the way she shied away from him, the way she was looking away, as if embarrassed, she did care about him. Here was a chance to redeem himself after what he did to Sarah.

They quietly entered the house together, sneaking upstairs so as not to alarm the rest of Alpha Company—especially Spyro, who was sleeping in a room he shared with Piermont and the rest of the duo's own little 'high command', such as Nala and Sonic, on the bottom floor. Upon entering the room that Alex's loyalists all shared, he was greeting by the pleasant smell of vanilla, and Ruby's eyes, upon focusing on him, immediately lit up. The dolphin, who had been laying down on the bed that she, Alex, and Cynder all shared, talking to Azazel, immediately jumped to her tail fins and embraced her mate, summoning a bemused—even if awkward—smile from Zinnia. "Please tell me you're back to normal now..." the dolphin asked.

"I'm fine, Ruby..." he replied, gently pushing her off of him and walking towards their bed, collapsing on his side of the straw mattress and fishing around underneath for the box containing the mutation kit. In an attempt to grant some privacy to the many members sharing the single master bedroom, animal-cloth sheets, purchased from the traders down in the market, had been hanged from ropes bolted to the ceiling and walls to cordon off the room into sections, and with the many warm bodies all sharing the same single room combined with the sheets littering the space and the single fire burning in the hearth, the temperature was extremely warm and borderline uncomfortable. A washing tub had been brought into the room as well, placed into its own isolated corner, so that Zinnia and Alex could bathe without leaving the room. Each section had also been given chamber pots—again to prevent leaving the room as much as possible, and richly scented candles and incense burned to hide the smell. So many candles had been brought into the room that it was lit almost as bright as day, even in the dead of night, and the walls appeared almost enshrined by the countless shelves that had been built, completely lined with candles.

Alex fished out the needle gun from the small box, loading a fresh vial of the blood-red liquid into the dispenser before placing the barrel of the gun against his jugular, depressing the trigger and emptying the contents into his bloodstream with a pneumatic hiss. He winced at the sting of penetration, sighing with relief as blue sparks danced across his throat to heal the puncture wound soon after. He then examined his recently-reset hand, testing maneuverability of the fingers while the sparks danced across the various bones and joints, healing them. He shrugged his shoulders and popped his neck, "Better."

A light knock sounded on the bedroom door and Zinnia called it, peering through the peephole before undoing the several bolts and locks built into the stone door and pulling it open to allow Terrias inside. While the French girl closed the door behind him, the servine said, "Nice job, Zinnia...Pierre's out cold."

"Yeah, but he'll be pissed when he wakes up."

"Not necessarily...as soon as he recovers he'll probably forget everything that happened...that's what _usually_ goes on..." then towards Alex, passing the Commander his trademark smile—one that also contained something more, something else—he asked, "How are you doing?"

"Arm hurts like a bitch...but I'm still alive, and I'm out of that bullshit, so that's a thing..." then, "Thanks for vouching for me."

"You're my best friend...why wouldn't I?"

"Seems you're still on friendly terms with Piermont...or rather, he's still on friendly terms with you."

"Yeah, well...he's lost his intelligence in his dwindling sanity. It's ridiculously easy to sell a lie to him, and even if you blatantly tell him something that he just witnesses the complete opposite of not five seconds earlier...once he gets distracted, he'll completely forget what he just saw and will eat up every word you said. Honestly, I'm more scared of Spyro...his intelligence and attention span has only improved in his insanity."

"Still...thanks..." and he smiled towards Zinnia, "And thanks for saving me."

She smiled back at him, "It was a pleasure. Although you own _me_ one now."

"Put it on my tab."

That night, Alex sat in bed, the only one awake, staring up towards the ceiling, lost in thought. He found he wasn't tired, his mind was wondering what was happening to him. Why was he hallucinating Zack? Was he going insane, too? Was Piermont's corruption finally starting to get the best of him?"

Suddenly aware of the need to smoke, he quietly climbed over the sleeping Cynder on his right, hopping down and silently shifting aside the makeshift curtains around his bed to enter the open room. The shared living 'room' of sorts was around the fireplace, roaring to keep the bitter Skyrim cold out. All the sectioned living quarters for Alex's comrades surrounded this central area like houses around a _cul-de-sac_ , and he quietly moved through the center, sneaking outside of the room into the dimly lit armory beyond. He stood in the darkness outside his door for several minutes, ensuring that no one else was awake, before he made his way downstairs and slipped outside the front door into the frozen yard. Walking down the cobblestone path, towards the low-lying stone walls that encircled the small yard's perimeter, he leaned against the old, bent, and rusted wrought-iron bars poking out a dozen feet from the stone wall, sticking a hand-rolled cigarette into his mouth and striking a light in the palm of his hand. Taking a deep breath, he craned his head to the sky, leaning the back of his head against one of the stone pillars to either side of the gate that led into their yard, breathing a cloud of richly-scented tobacco into the starry skies above, glowing with a green, yellow, and orange _aurora borealis_.

"It's beautiful out here..." a quiet voice spoke from behind him, and Alex took another drag as Terrias appeared beside him, leaning against the pillar. Alex handed him his cigarette and he took it, breathing deeply before handing it back.

"I have a question for you," Alex began.

"Sure, what would you like to ask?"

Silence for several minutes before, "We're friends right?"

"Yeah..." he grinned, "Besties."

"Do you sometimes feel like there's something else between us?"

"Something else? What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean Terrias...don't make me mention it bluntly...it's already awkward as hell to discuss."

"Well...we've been through a lot together, so I'd say yes. We know more about each other than we tend to tell those around us...even those we care about most..." then, "Is this about that kiss?"

"Yes."

He shrugged, "I was just...returning the favor, I suppose."

"You're lying."

"Fine then, since you apparently know so much. Do _you_ feel like there's something else between us?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Well...yeah."

"Yes...I do."

"I thought you weren't gay? Or bi?" he chuckled.

"Don't kid yourself, man...I fucked Spyro, remember...Piermont, too...technically speaking."

"Maybe it was these little gay encounters that made them go insane then?"

"I'm serious, Terrias..." Alex replied, casting the servine a worried glance.

"Are you _wanting_ something more between us?"

The Commander shrugged, and after several minutes of silence, "I've thought about some weird things...y'know, when there's nothing else going on and I'm trying to get to sleep or some shit."

In a low voice, Terrias said, "Nobody has to know."

"What?"

"Well...there's only one way to really find out...and nobody has to know."

"I don't...I don't know...having sex with my best friend seems kinda...messed up."

"Well, there are _other_ things than penetration..." then, "I wanna show you something, come here," and the servine led them around to the other side of the house, in the corner directly between Hjerim and Windhelm's perimeter wall. The small side yard was dark and extremely narrow, both could barely fit in it, and they had to crawl through a thick, tangled bush to get there.

Once they were as far back as possible, Alex asked, "What is it you want to show me?"

Terrias unbuttoned his trench coat, pulling it aside to expose his bare torso to his friend, "There's only one way to find out if there's something more between us or not..." he nodded down, "It's up to you to decide...I won't say anything to anybody if you don't," Alex remained still for several moments, unsure of what to do, "C'mon...make up your mind, it's cold out here."

"You don't mind?"

"If I minded, I wouldn't be doing this, now would I?"

Accepting this answer, Alex brushed his hand against Terrias' torso, sliding it further down and passing it over the servine's cloaca. Terrias remained still, tensing briefly upon the contact, but otherwise saying or doing nothing, and upon glancing towards the servine, Alex could see that his eyes were closed, and he was breathing deeply, calmly. Again, Alex brushed the Pokemon's cloaca, watching as it began to bulge out from his belly, the slit itself opening ever-so-slightly. Again he touched his friend's slit, and Alex spied two tiny red points poking out of the hole. He crouched to the ground then, pressing his head closer to Terrias' belly before gently touching his tongue against one of the points. It tensed beneath his touch, and a strange, musky, salty taste spread out throughout his mouth and down his throat, like a cancer. He licked again, and the object stiffened briefly, emerging even more from the servine's cloaca. Alex continued this, teasing Terrias' twin penises from his slit until they were erect at full length, only about four or five inches long. He closed his mouth over one of them, and Terrias sighed, breathing heavier, his breath now shaky and unsteady. Alex then wrapped his hand around the other, beginning to tug gently, and Terrias leaned back against the wall, trying to control his breathing as the Commander continued pulling and suckling his blood-red, tapered lengths. More of that musky taste filled his mouth, and the servine shuddered, occasionally bucking towards him uncontrollably, even though he desperately tried to limit his movements. It didn't take long before the servine's penises stiffened tautly and hot, salty, and musky fluid drizzled from the pulsating tips, sliding down his smooth length and collecting around the base of his cloaca. Terrias sighed again, chuckling, "Shit, man...you're good at this..."

"Guess I perfected my skill when I tended to Piermont..." Alex replied, straightening and watching as the servine's penises slowly retreated into his cloaca, the faint red blush around the slit fading and the hole itself closing and sinking until it was almost level with the rest of his belly.

Before he had a chance to say anything more, however, Terrias pushed him against the wall, sliding one of his three-fingered paws into the Alex's pants and wrapping it around his own penis. "What are you doing?" the Commander asked, shocked and embarrassed as the servine stroked and pulled him to a full erection.

"I'm returning the favor..." he replied, bringing the Commander into a kiss and fishing the young man's penis out of his pants. Alex was aware of the bitter cold against his length, the feeling of the air against the wetness oozing from the tip, and Terrias' gentle, furry touch. He chanced opening his mouth, surprised when the servine slipped his tongue, and the two kissed for several more seconds before Terrias broke it off, crouching down and tugging Alex, kissing and licking the tip of his penis before closing his mouth over it, just in time for the Commander to reach his climax, feeling the servine's tongue poking and exploring around the tip and his length, and the quiet, barely audible gulps as he swallowed his friend's seed. This done, Terrias pulled away, a string of saliva stretching and breaking before standing straight again, returning the object to where it belonged. "Nobody knows..." the servine said, placing his forehead against Alex's, "This is just between us."

The Commander nodded, then asked, "Is there something more between us?"

Terrias smiled, "Yes..." and they kissed again before returning to their post, Alex discarding his forgotten, burnt-out cigarette and lighting a new one, handing it to Terrias before lighting himself a second.

"You think we'll become mates?"

The servine shrugged, "Well, that's something you'll have to ease me into...but someday?" he chuckled, "I wouldn't mind."

"I'm glad you're here, Terrias."

"I'm glad I'm here, too..." and he leaned his head against the Commander's shoulder as the two finished their cigarettes and watched the _aurora borealis_ dancing in the starry skies above.


	22. Chapter XXI: Achilles Heel

_**Chapter XXI**_ **:**

 **-''Achilles Heel''-**

 **-Riften, Skyrim-**

 **- _09 October 2016_ -**

 **- _1114 Hours_ -**

Synthia, Violet, and Faythe stood around Riften's market square, watching as Alex answered the invite of a Thieves Guild member that he had received much, much earlier, going through the guild's intiation. Nearby, a fierce old woman was chewing out a bunch of orphans about how much they were unwanted and how they were never going to get adopted.

"That bitch still isn't dead yet? The Dark Brotherhood really does suck all of the ass in this time period... hey, Violet. Can I borrow your ax?" Synthia asked.

"You realize you're about to start shit with the Brotherhood, right?" the other girl responded.

"Yeah, but this is definitely worth it," Synthia replied, and with Violet reluctantly giving her the weapon, Synthia casually strolled towards the building that the orphans had been shepherded into, whistling a merry tune. Violet only sighed, casting a glance towards Faythe, who said nothing, shaking her head. Once inside the orphanage, Synthia, twirling the weapon in her hand, approached its owner, who's back was to the Omniversal. Synthia crouched low to the ground, cautiously approaching the old woman before swinging the ax, sticking it into the small of the old hag's back. She screeched in agony, falling to her knees, and Synthia grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head back, fluidly withdrawing the dagger from the sheathe at her waist and slicing the blade against the old woman's throat, kicking the corpse to the ground while blood sprayed on the walls and quickly gathered in a pool around the body.

Sheathing her dagger, Synthia turned around to spy a bunch of stunned children staring at her, mouths agape. She nodded towards them, saying, "Good day to you all," before heading back outside into Riften, the joyful cries of the children—happy at the bitch's demise—spilling out through the open door behind her. Synthia rejoined her comrades, handing the ax back to Violet who flicked the blade in the air a few times to dislodge the dripping blade before sheathing the weapon at her waist. Faythe only sighed, shaking her head, and the trio returned their attention to Alex's shenanigans in the plaza.

Alex's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, briefly glancing towards the sleeping Ruby and Cynder before his eyes strayed to the curtain separating his section of the room from the one on his left—where Terrias slept with Aria and their son, Raphael. He recalled what they had done the previous night, and gently peered around the curtain, seeing the servine curled into a ball around Aria, sound asleep, breathing slowly and steadily. Terrias' trench coat was laying across the back of a chair at the foot of their cot, and although Terrias back was to him, Alex could shift his position enough to see the servine's open cloaca, his hemipenes poking out from within in his relaxed state. The taste of the Pokemon's seed in his mouth was lingering, and Alex was surprised to find that he wanted to try it again...perhaps even to convince Terrias to let Alex mount him...he could only imagine that the servine was fairly tight inside...

He sat on the edge of his bed, taking care not to stir Cynder or Ruby, and he glanced down at his erection, bulging through his underwear. He quietly slipped out of bed, passing into the common area to find Zinnia wide awake, sitting in front of the fire and reading a book. "What are you doing awake?" he asked with a whisper.

She shrugged, "It's noon, and I just woke up," she chuckled, nodding towards him, "Looks like you did, too..."

Alex took a seat beside her, asking, "So...I don't know a whole helluva lot about this whole relationship thing...what do we do? We just pass on the whole 'I love yous' and occasionally kiss or hug?"

Zinnia laughed, "C'mon, you're mated to three girls, and yet you _still_ don't know how a relationship works?"

"Well, my last human relationship kinda fell apart in tatters."

Zinnia leaned against him, "Well...we can do whatever we want," she replied with a smile, and she gently placed her hand on his erection, " _Whenever_ we want."

"The others will be up at any time now..."

"And?" she replied, "I'm quiet...and if I remember correctly, so were you."

"What if you get pregnant?"

"What if I do? Besides, we have condoms...they're a little outdated compared to what we're used to but..."

"Are you _wanting_ to do it?"

"You tell me..." she whispered, and she grabbed his hand, sliding it into her pants and pressing his fingers against her vagina, soaking wet, "I dreamed about you last night...it was a fun dream, too..." she led him into her section of the room, slipping off her nightgown and exposing her bare breasts to him, "What do you say you try something a little bit different, hmm?" and she took off her panties, laying down on her bed and exposing herself to him. He climbed in beside her, she tore off his underwear, and rolled onto his belly, kissing him passionately. She reached beneath her bed, pulling out an animal-skin condom and sliding it onto him before laying atop him once again, throwing her arms around him and lowering herself onto his erection. She was tight, evidencing years of chastity, and the texture of her body was vastly different from what he was used to. She wasn't as soft or loose as Dash, Cynder, or Ruby, and it was clear that her skill in sex had weakened a bit after years of disuse. Eventually, however, rapidly thrusting against him and wrapping her legs around his rear, pressing him tightly against her, she reached her climax and kissed him deeply, her milking body bringing him to a speedy climax soon after, following which they collapsed into each others arms, catching their breaths.

"So this is how it's gonna be?" he asked her, "Now that we're a couple? Sweet talk and morning fucks?"

She chuckled, caressing his cheeks, "Only if you want it that way."

He grinned, "Hell, sounds like fun," and they cuddled against each other, relishing in their shared body heat against the bitter cold that had saturated the room the previous night.

While Zinnia retreated to the makeshift bathroom to bathe, Alex sat in the commons, sitting in front of the fire, trying to get it going again. When at last he had succeeded, he sat down, cross-legged, arms extended and palms outstretched to warm himself. Terrias clambered out of his room, and his eyes only briefly met Alex's before he looked away, although whether of shame, embarrassment, or regret, the Commander was unsure. He sat across from Alex, keeping his distance and maintaining his silence, refusing to cast his friend even a passing glance.

 _What's wrong?_ Alex telepathically asked, seeking the servine out, but Terrias didn't respond.

Just as the Commander had lost hope in receiving a reply from the Pokemon, Terrias replied, _I couldn't stop thinking about last night..._

 _You say that like it's a bad thing..._

He shrugged, _I wouldn't say it's a_ bad _thing, but I would say that I don't know what to feel._

 _You wanting to do it again sometime?_

He subtly nodded, _And more..._

 _You want to mate?_

Again, he subtly nodded, _Next time we get some privacy, I've decided...I want to mate with you. Last night, I dreamed that we were chatting outside, and I was feeling really horny...you kissed me, you laid me down...and you mounted me. I want that to happen for real next time...but it will take some time to...convince the rest of my body to allow that._

 _What do you mean?_

 _Give me some time to get used to having something...um...in there...and then I will let you...I will let you mount me. I'll try to find a few things I can use to start...uh...acclimating my body to have something inside of me...and then when I feel like I'm ready, I'll come find you, okay?_

Alex said nothing, only nodded.

 _And please don't tell anybody about this..._

 _I won't Terrias, don't worry. You can trust me. And when you're ready to mate...I'll be gentle, I promise. Take your time._

He smiled, _I know and I will...thank you for last night._

 _Thank_ you _._

 _You helped straighten out a lot of confused thoughts I've been having recently...I'm glad to call you my friend._

 _Same here._

And they both finally fell silent, staring towards the fire burning in the hearth, both lost in thought over what they had done, unknown to everyone else.

"So, got an idea for a little project..." Alex began, addressing his loyalists upon their awakening.

"You? With an idea?" Terrias chuckled, "That can't be good."

"Fuck you, man..." then to the rest of the crowd, "Figured we can make our next attempt to apprehend Miss Akumi Satō and bring her back here."

"Are you sure you want to take the risk again?" Ruby asked, "We barely got out of there in one piece the _first_ time."

The Commander nodded, "We don't have a choice. Every day we waste sitting here with our thumbs up our asses is another chance that Vergil has to succeed—and eventually he will. We need to make sure we get to that girl before he does."

"How do we know she'll even cooperate?" Jazz asked.

"We'll have to make her," the Commander replied.

"Sure...because a fifteen year-old trouble girl will _totally_ be easy to kidnap and convince we're not the bad guys," Rocket sighed, "Flawless plan, absolutely perfect."

"Well, we're reducing our numbers this time..." Alex replied, "That will hopefully make it easier for everyone to get out safely..." then, "Rocket, Scarlet, Jazz, Eli, Terrias, Zinnia, and myself will be on the task force. We'll pay a visit to the States first to acquire some transportation, then we'll head to Tokyo for the operation."

"What about me?" Ruby asked.

"I need you to stay here, Ruby...the others will take care of you."

"But..."

"No buts...it's too dangerous for you."

The dolphin pouted, looking away, but said nothing.

Cynder sighed, "So I can't come with you _this_ time either?"

"No, I need you here to take care of Ruby."

"God damn it..."

"Sorry, Cyn..."

"It's okay, Cynder," Ruby replied with a coy smile, "We'll just find some fun things to do here."

The dragoness sighed again, "Fair enough..." then to her human mate, "Just...if you run into trouble again, don't hesitate to call us in for back up?"

"Deal."

"Oh, and you better take me on vacation to Japan once everything calms down."

Alex chuckled, "Fine..."

"Okay...so where are we gonna get some transportation?" Rocket asked, "I mean...we kinda lost New Alexandria, in case you've forgotten."

"Where's that ship you were building with the Reaper parts?"

"Uh...in New Alexandria?"

"It's in the Mining District right?"

"The western district, yeah...but it's still in friggin' New Alexandria."

"Zaz...how is enemy concentration in the mountains?"

"I-I dunno..." the goat boy replied, "We never went there."

Zinnia spoke up, "Enemy presence is kinda thick in the actual mines...but the base in the mountains—if that's where you're wanting to go—is abandoned, I don't even think Vergil knows it's there."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Did you manage to get it flying before Vergil attacked?"

"Yeah...but it's not really _complete_...it doesn't even have weapons yet and the armor hasn't been welded to the shell...you're not expecting to head back there and get it are you?"

"You and Scarlet could pull it off."

"Are you serious!?"

"You two are excellent at stealth when you want to be, you can slip in and out with ease."

Rocket turned to face his girlfriend, both shrugging before the raccoon turned back to face the Commander, "All right, fine. It could take a day or two though."

"Take however long you need...just get back safely."

"Wow, you actually care about someone other than your mates for once?" Scarlet snorted.

"I care about all my troops...even the ones that think I'm a delusional madman."

"So you keep Piermont alive."

"Scar, don't start shit with him," Rocket sighed.

"Actually, yes. That _is_ why I keep Piermont alive..." Alex replied, "I still think he's down there somewhere."

"And I think he's a lost cause..." Scarlet responded, "I really hope it doesn't take Ruby or your son being killed—or at least gravely injured—before you realize that he's too far gone to be saved. Keeping him alive is only making him suffer even longer."

"I know him...he's alive down there somewhere...I just need to bring him back."

"Good luck with that."

"Anyway..." Rocket interrupted, trying to prevent war from breaking out between the two, "Scarlet and I should really get some rest. If we're leaving tonight, we need all the sleep we can get for our grand return back to New Alexandria."

"I'll fly you two down there," Dash said, "I wanna see how far the city has gone with my own eyes."

"Zinnia, you willing to join us?" Rocket asked, "Since you know your way around Vergil's playground?"

"Sorry, Rocket, but no. I'm glad to finally get out of there."

"Damn it."

"I can join you," Azazel replied shyly.

"Fuck that," Alex stated firmly, "You're staying here."

"I know my way around the city...and we can bring Nick with us, too. _Soulreaper_ can slice through _Filios Diaboli_ like butter, and since we haven't been to the Mining District yet, I'm sure there's lots of supplies we can get."

"He's right," Scarlet said, "He knows his way around, we could use him."

"Fine," Alex replied, disgruntled, "But you're bringing Nick with you, too."

"Fair enough."

"He lives in his own little house outside the city," Azazel said, "We can stop by there on our way out of the city."

"Can Dash take all four of you?"

"I'll go," Cynder said.

"No, you're too big," the Commander replied.

The she-dragon sighed, "Okay, I've been trying to throw some hints, but apparently that's not working. Alex, I'm getting cabin fever being stuck in this one room...in this one place...I need to get out and spread my wings. Besides, if we're going in the middle of the night, I should blend in really well."

"What if Spyro catches you?"

"What if he does?" Cynder asked, "He won't stray far from Piermont...worse comes to worst, I'll just outrun him. He might have the muscle over me, but I have the speed. Won't take long for me to lose sight of him, and it won't take _him_ long after that to lose interest and return like a leashed dog to Piermont's side."

"I guess you can go then."

"Thank you."

"Anyone else wanting to risk their bloody friggin' lives heading back down there?"

Silence from the others.

"Good, great. Rocket and Scarlet will head down there with Zaz and Nick, grab the ship, then come back here and we'll head straight for Tokyo after. Dash, Cynder, expecting you two to just go down there to drop them off, then head back here once they're dropped at a safe place."

"How about we drop them off at a safe spot, but hold back somewhere further away so that we're there in the event that they find themselves in trouble and need immediate support?" Dash suggested, "We'll stay away from the city...far enough away that _Filios Diaboli_ patrols won't find us, or even go _near_ us, but close enough that we're there in case of an emergency."

Alex grimaced, but said nothing, only threw his hands in surrender, digging through the pocket of his cloak with trembling hands for one of his hand-rolled cigarettes.

"Don't worry," Cynder chuckled, winking seductively at her human mate, "I'm sure you can go a day or two without little old me there."

The Commander, unlit cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth, only flipped the she-dragon off before unlocking the numerous locks and bolts on the door and slipping out into the armory beyond.

"Geez...you sure have him on a leash," Zinna said in a light, humored tone.

"He's submissive in bed...least to me and Ruby," the dragoness chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind...anything else I should know?"

The dragoness looked around in amusement at the awkward—and perturbed—expressions of the rest of the group, "I'll...tell you later."

Two days later, Rocket and party returned with the ship, an immense, prototype gunship he had taken to calling the _Titan_ , constructed from the remains of Harbinger, the Reaper commander, who had been destroyed by Alex and Terrias the previous year. Upon his return to Windhelm, Alex asked, "Hope you didn't have too many problems."

"Nah," Rocket replied, "Got into a fight with some shadow-knights, couple of thralls, but there wasn't anything _too_ terribly special around. Easy enough."

"You ready to go then?"

"Yep, she's parked outside in the wilderness, I'm ready to head out whenever you are."

"We'll get the others then and depart."

"What exactly is the plan?"

"Not sure yet...I'll figure it out when we get in the air."

"Oh, and by the way, you're gonna love me."

"Why?"

The raccoon grinned dangerously, "I looted the armory, we have enough ammunition and weapons to outfit an entire friggin' army now."

"Nice!"

"It was my idea," Scarlet grinned, and Rocket glared at her.

"Nice work guys, hopefully it'll make our lives a little bit easier."

After collecting the rest of the group, they quietly left the city walls, Rocket leading them across the stone bridge extending over the lake in the heart of which Windhelm sat on its own island, past several farms, and into the forest at the foot of a towering mountain peak directly across from the city. After several minutes of wandering through the pitch black, all-encompassing taiga, they finally reached the ship, three stories tall and at least a hundred feet long. After being torn down into pieces for transport and reconstruction after the Reaper's fall, it only vaguely still resembled the shape of the machine it once was, and was painted a steely black, trimmed with in a deep, bloody red. Upon approaching the vehicle, Rocket stopped in front of a dimly-glowing orb hovering above the convex door. A red, horizontal laser suddenly appeared scanning his body before the light flickered out and, with a pneumatic hiss, the convex door fell open, exposing an angular staircase heading into the cobalt blue room beyond. The raccoon disappeared into the _Titan_ , the rest of the team in tow, before the door closed shut behind them and Rocket vanished up two flights of stairs into the bridge. Wires hanged out from the ceiling, inside plating was missing in several places, and pieces of the catwalk floor had yet to be put down, piled in large, square, heavy chunks laying aside holes the fell into the tangle of wiring and beams below the grate. "Watch your step," Scarlet said, making her way to the bridge, "There's a lot of holes lying around."

"This thing can fly?" Terrias asked.

"Might not seem like it, but yes it can...flies pretty well, too," and the red fox finally vanished. The entire ship seemed to be glowing in a deep, ocean blue light, almost blinding in its intensity on the eyes, even though it wasn't bright at all. The cargo hold contrasted this with sterile, white, steel walls and unpainted catwalks, dimly lit with recessed lights that lined the top of the twenty foot ceiling. The catwalk floors throughout the rest of the ship were as black as coal, and trenches full of small, white, circular lights surrounded the perimeter of the rooms and halls of each floor, shining up onto the lower half of the walls. The halls were hexagonal in shape, and the rooms also carried an alien, polygonal architecture. The open, bottom floor housed an expansive cargo hold immediately to the right of the door, various munitions storage and access to the guts of the _Titan_ 's armaments—although the corridors snaking throughout the guns were just a little larger than Rocket's size, and a human being would likely not fit very well into the claustrophobic corridors—enclosed in cages around the stairs to the immediate left, and two common bedroom, accessible via curtained arches set into the left and right walls at the far end of the single, straight hall running beneath the stairs and munition storage cages. These rooms held fifteen bunks each, down the single, hexagonal-shaped hall that connected the quarters to the open cargo hold. Up against the far wall down the hall were two steel, double doors, painted an olive green, that led into the ship's entrails, allowing easy access to the engines and other vital systems for maintenance and repair, as well as more access to the _Titan's_ on-board artillery. The middle level of the ship contained the actual weapons—when they would get installed and in working order, as well as a spherical war room, the armory, a lounge, and a small, kitchen-like niche just off the lounge...all glowing in that blindingly intense, deep blue light, and all unfinished. Directly to the left of the door leading into the ship, what they had just passed through, were the two flights of stairs that connected all three levels of the ship's interior. Both flights had black, carpeted stairs illuminated by white, rectangular lights beneath the individual steps. From the cargo hold, going up the first flight of stairs, past the three munitions cages that ran directly above and parallel to the stairs _and_ the hall connecting to the crew quarters, they were greeted on the left and right by the curved, hexagonal-shaped halls connecting all rooms on the middle floor, and ahead by the second flight of stairs that led to a single, olive-green, bulkhead door at the top, heading into the bridge.

"Shit..." Eli said, looking around, "This place is big."

"Rocket must be compensating for something," Terrias chuckled.

"I heard that!" the raccoon spat, strolling down the stairs from the bridge, "Listen, lizard-boy, if you wanna have a dick measuring contest, then by all means, go right ahead and whip it out."

"Only Alex gets the pleasure of seeing my hot lizard cock."

The raccoon sighed, "Anyway, where we headed, Alex?"

"Tokyo."

"Any stops along the way?"

"Nope."

"Awesome...make yourselves comfortable. The warp drive is still a little sketchy...just getting here from New Alexandria rattled some pieces loose, so it's not safe to use it again, meaning we're in for quite a ride."

"What kinda fuel does this thing take?" Jazz asked.

The raccoon chuckled, "It doesn't need fuel, fun thing about the Reapers, their brains are ridiculously efficient power sources. The Reapers are charged by sunlight, and their skin is not only relatively thin, somewhat flexible, light in weight, decent durability, and very flame resistant, but has a photosynthesis-like effect that absorbs sunlight and directs it to the brain, keeping its charge up. This baby can go days without sun exposure at maximum capacity, and for weeks at minimum. Firing the cannon does take a _lot_ of power though...so if we find ourselves in the middle of a battle, this thing might last through a single night at most on a full...battery for lack of better terms. If I can find a way to get the cloaking system to work with the Reaper skin, and make the cannon a little more efficient to use, we'll have cutting edge tech that is hundreds, possibly even thousands, of years ahead of its time. We'll be friggin' unstoppable!"

"Christ...what needs _that_ much power?"

"A machine that came out of friggin' space...specifically deep space, between galaxies, where there's not enough sunlight for light years to keep everything running smoothly. Even with a very minimal exposure to gamma rays, this thing can still go on...it'll just take a few Earth days to gain enough of a charge to move."

"Where do we stay?" Alex asked.

"Crew quarters are on the bottom floor...beds are only large enough for a single person, so sorry Alex, Terrias, Zinnia, you three will have to wait to have your special guy time. We have a queen-sized one on the bridge, but that's for Scarlet and I, cause fuck you peasants," he grinned darkly, "Oh, and we have four bathrooms, two on the bottom floor, one up here, and one on the bridge...no showers though, at least yet."

"That's fine," the servine chuckled, "I think Alex and I can wait for a while."

"Indeed we can," Zinnia grinned with a nod, casting her boyfriend a sly smile.

"Awesome...worse comes to worst, just wank it...although I expect you to clean up your spunk if you do, I don't wanna have to clean that shit, and _Scarlet_ sure as hell ain't going to," and without another word, he disappeared back onto the bridge.

The group now sitting around the lounge, Terrias asked, rubbing his hands together against the bitter cold penetrating the machine's interior—neither heat nor air conditioning had been installed yet, "So, what's the plan when we get to Tokyo?"

"We know where the school is," the Commander replied, "We'll try to scout it out again, maybe spend a day or two watching shift changes and daily routines in and around the perimeter. From there, we'll figure out a plan on how to get in and break Miss Satō out.

"Might have to get Rocket to hack into their camera feed," Jazz said, "Or at least to get access to their records, so we can know _exactly_ where our new friend is. The sooner we get in and get out, the better it'll be for _all_ of us."

"I agree," Alex responded, "Now, the plan's kinda rough, but I'm thinking that we can split into three teams. Scarlet and Rocket will comprise Fireteam Bravo, who will provide overwatch from one angle, possibly the rear of the compound. Fireteam Charlie will be Jazz and Eli, they'll provide overwatch from another angle, maybe the front...those four are our best marksmen, which is why I dragged them along. Terrias, Zinnia, and myself will comprise Fireteam Alpha...it'll be _our_ responsibility to actually _break_ into the fuckin' place and bag the girl."

"What if she doesn't cooperate? Or she fights back?" Zinnia asked.

"Then we'll gag, tie, and _drag_ her ass out of there. Also, this should go without saying...we need her _alive_. Anyway, I'll flesh out the plan once we actually scout the place and figure out what we're up against. Cross your fingers and fuckin' pray that shit doesn't splat in our faces this time..." and he stood up, adjusting his cloak and strolling over to the armory, pulling open the door and disappearing inside. "He wasn't kidding..." the Commander chuckled as his comrades appeared around them, "Fucking finally! Got some crap to protect ourselves!" and he, cocking his head to the side, pulled an AK47 off the wall. It was equipped with an ACOG scope and laser sight, similar to his own weapon, only this was a newer model than his old, weathered one, the same he had used since he had initially upgraded his arsenal many, many years earlier, and it was decked out in a blood-red, tigerstripe camouflage pattern. Directly beside it was a matching weapon with identical attachments, only this one equipped with a cobalt blue-colored tigerstripe camouflage. He compared the two weapons, struggling to decide which camouflage he liked best. At last, realizing that their assault would likely occur at night, he chose the blue pattern, promising to get the red one later. Loading up on ammunition, and taking both a silencer that could fit onto the barrel and a cleaning kit, he returned to the lounge, laying down one of Rocket's greasy towels he found lying around and breaking apart his new weapon into its many components. After several minutes of staring at the disassembled weapon, he stood up, hurried back into the arsenal, and went ahead and grabbed the red one off the rack, returning to the lounge and resting it gently by his side, finally proceeding to clean his disassembled weapon.

Rocket landed the _Titan_ in the heart of the wilderness, alongside a waterfall, just of a mountain trail that circled the snow-capped peak. Disembarking from the ship, the group worked together to camouflage it before treading the one and a half kilometers to the boarding school that Akumi attended. Thunder bellowed in the distance, the skies were overcast and a deep gray, and a drizzle of cold rain fell from the sky. The group paused on a muddy mountain trail that snaked on a hill around the school, sitting tucked into a small valley. It was a small, walled complex, with three multi-tiered buildings, and a few small, one-story ones. All three multi-tiered ones were three-stories tall, but two of them neighbored each other, while the third was across the campus. "Really quiet..." Zinnia said.

"Yeah..." the Commander replied, "Kinda eerie."

"Where the hell are we gonna find our target?" Terrias asked.

"I'm guessin' the two neighboring buildings are the segregated male and female dorms," Eli said, "Figure out which is which and should be fairly easy after that to find our girl."

"Rocket," Alex began, "You think you and Scarlet can find out where she is? Maybe fuck with any security systems they have so we can get through?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods?" the raccoon responded, digging out his laptop and cracking it open beneath the shelter of a rocky overhang.

"Stay hidden, we'll be right back," Alex began, "We're gonna scout the area for any good vantage points."

The raccoon merely responded by passing the Commander an 'A-OK' gesture, without looking up from his computer screen.

"Right," the Commander nodded forward, "Let's go."

While they walked across the trail encircling the compound, Alex's earpiece buzzed, and Rocket said, "Uh...we may have to attack tonight?"

"Why?" Alex asked.

"Because I was digging through files for any mention of our girl, stumbled upon an email exchange discussing a plan to capture her tonight..." the Commander stiffened, "Looks like thralls have already infiltrated the school."

"Find her!"

"Roger that, Rocket out."

"You guys get that?" the Commander asked, and the rest of his group nodded, "Let's find our nests and start preparing for the assault...we'll have to beat _Filios Diaboli_ to her."

After finally finding two points that provided perfect cover and vantage points for the support teams, Rocket contacted them again, "She's in Kasumi Hall, the one in the southwestern corner of the complex."

"Floor?"

"Third...Room 309. Checked out the blueprints...these buildings are old, _very_ old, so there's no elevator. Room appears to be in the east wing."

"Security?"

"Surprisingly advanced...they _really_ wanna keep these bastards in check. I can remotely disconnect the complex's power, but you'll only have like ten, twenty minutes before they get it back on."

"Is there a backup power supply?"

"Yes, but Scarlet and I can get down there and sabotage the generator. We'll do that before the raid commences."

"Excellent work, Rocket, we're heading back to you."

"No prob, and roger that, Rocket out."

Akumi, a fifteen year old tomboy, walked down the brick path back to her dorm, green eyes focused solely ahead. Around her, the other girls, preppy and rich, cast her disgusted glances and spoke about her behind her back. Her short, unruly black hair hanged low into her face and eyes from the rain, and she stomached her anger. The girls treated her like absolute crap, the guys would constantly mess with her, and it infuriated her. She was constantly pressured to be more 'ladylike' and proper, but she refused to. Unlike the other girls, she wasn't afraid to get dirty, and actually preferred the company of what male friends she _did_ have over the companionship of the other girls, snobbish and overly prim and proper. Ever since she was a little girl, her mother had told her to be proud of herself, to be independent and refuse to let the world determine who she should and should not be...it was these choice words from her young mother that Akumi Satō had taken to heart. Unlike the other girls, who preferred skimpy, attractive dresses that barely covered their thighs saturating themselves in the nauseous odor of perfume, dressing up to be the little whores that they very much were, Akumi preferred to wear all black, when she did apply makeup and paint her fingernails (which was rare), she chose black—her favorite color, and she wore dirty, dingy tennis shoes instead of heels, often not even wearing socks with them. Her room was a mess, with books, magazines, trash, and video games scattered about, and metal band posters were taped, skewed, across her walls, absolutely despising pop. While her fellow girls preferred lighthearted and romantic cartoons, she watched the gritty, gory, and grim ones, the bloodier and cruder the better. She also frequently watched porn, and wasn't very secretive about it either. She considered herself asexual, perfectly capable of pleasing herself without having to worry about someone else, and she could hold her own in a fight, even against male athletes. Because of her unique taste in clothes and interests and careless view on gender roles and sexuality in society, she was ostracized by her peers, sometimes even mocked, but she didn't care. She was her own person, proud, and did not take orders from anyone else, and because of this, they could all fuck off.

Finally letting herself back into her room, she threw down her back pack, tossed back her hair, kicked off her shoes, shirt, and shorts until all she wore was her white bra and panties, darker in color than her pale skin—evidencing her dislike for going outside into the sun—and she fell back into bed, putting on a pair of headphones and taking a nap, listening to music, drowning out the world around her, including the distinctive hammering of a rocking bed against the walls from one of the rooms around her as one of her neighbors decided to get a little friendly with her boyfriend.

"The sun's setting..." Jazz began, turning to face the Commander, "When are we beginning our assault?"

"As soon as night falls..." then to Rocket and Scarlet, "You guys go ahead and sabotage the backup gennie, we'll wait her for your return."

With a firm nod, Rocket and his girlfriend hopped over the twenty-foot cliff below, grabbing onto a dangling tree branch hanging over the compound walls, and quickly made their way over the wall, hopping down onto the other side.

"You sure we have time to find her if we wait until the sun sinks?" Zinnia asked, "Isn't that when _Filios Diaboli_ 's attacking?"

"We have time," Alex replied, scanning the compound below through his binoculars. Just as the sun finally sank below the horizon and the sky darkened to night, a heavy rain falling again shortly after, Rocket and Scarlet, both soaking wet, returned to the rest of their companions. "All right, kill the power," Alex whispered, and with a firm nod, the raccoon dove back into the nook where he had set his laptop. With a few rapid taps on the keyboard, every light in the area shut off at once, and complete darkness and eerily silence enveloped the world. Occasionally, lightning would flash in the sky, briefly illuminating the hauntingly dark complex, before darkness would envelope the landscape once again. Blinking once, the eyes of each member of Alex's team began to glow a brilliant green, almost exactly like a cat's eyes reflecting in the light, indicating that their serum-granted night vision had been activated. "Sniper teams, get to your positions, we're moving in ninety seconds."

From here, Alex counted down the time remaining in increments of thirty seconds until he reached the last thirty, then counting down in increments of ten seconds, then five, until, at last, he waved forward for his team to move down. They both leaped over the pit below, grabbing onto the branch and pulling themselves up, scampering over the wall and dropping down into the compound. They could see flashlights shining around in the darkness, and Alex whispered, "All right, stick to the hedges for cover, we need to get to the building over there..." then tapping his earpiece, "Snipers, hold fire until I give the command," and he signed forward, moving out of cover, "Terrias, you're on point."

They quietly and quickly moved through the compound, using the roaring storm to hide the sound of their footsteps through the squelching mud beneath their boots. Occasionally, lightning would provide additional lighting towards their objective, and finally, they reached Kasumi Hall.

"Stack up!" Alex hissed, and Terrias and Zinnia pressed themselves against the wall to either side of the door. "Cover me!" he ordered, digging out his lockpicking kit from his satchel and setting to work on the door. Within a minute, he turned the lock, quietly opening the squeaky door and slipping into the dark hall beyond, the rest of his comrades following behind him.

Over the radio, Jazz said, "Looks like you have a small group of...I count five bodies...heading towards the front door."

"We slipped in through the back and we're inside," Alex responded, "Looking for the stairs."

"I see another three heading towards the back door," Eli said, "They got flashlights."

"Don't engage them...just track them," the Commander replied, "Let's try to leave as little evidence of our presence as possible. I don't think anyone's noticed us yet, so they're probably thralls or a maintenance crew."

"My guys broke off at the door, heading to the power house...looks like they're just maintenance," Eli added soon after.

"What about yours, Jazz?"

Just then, Alex could hear the distant sound of shattering glass, and he swore beneath his breath.

"They broke through the front door...looks like they're thralls."

"Don't engage just yet, keep tracking them for as long as you can. Lotta windows between here and there. Keep me updated."

"Roger."

"Stairs are over here," Terrias whispered to them, nodding to a set of double doors at the end of the hall, and the trio raced over, disappearing through the doors and running up the steps, taking two at a time towards the third floor. Upon reaching the third floor landing, Alex and Terrias both leaned against one of the double doors, quietly opening them and poking their silenced weapons through the door to scan the hall to either side. After confirming they were clear, they shoved the doors open with their shoulders and rushed through, Zinnia racing in behind them. They continued through the halls, Alex and Zinnia both armed with silenced AK47s, Terrias with his suppressed SPAS-12.

"They're at the stairs," Jazz said.

"Take 'em out," Alex ordered.

"Yes, sir..." and the Commander could distantly hear shattering glass beneath him before, "Targets neutralized."

"I'm seeing a convoy of trucks approaching the compound's entrance...they're at the gates," Scarlet said, "Don't see any sign of slowing..." and a loud crash sounded through the air, sending Alex and company to the ground.

"SHIT!" Terrias hissed, crouching at a window and peering out, "Alex, we got company..."

"Open fire," Alex called to the snipers.

"You're on a time limit now," Rocket said, "Find this bitch and get outta there!"

"This is it..." Terrias said, "Stack up..." and the trio took positions to either side of the door, Terrias leaning out to angle his shotgun down towards the doorknob before pulling the trigger, kicking it open and rushing into the dark room beyond. As Alex ran in, ACOG scope against his eyes, he heard a loud scream from behind him. Turning to face the source, he felt something hard and cold smash against his nose, knocking him to the ground. Before he could respond, he saw a silhouetted figure holding him at gunpoint, and in a flash of lightning, he could see a young girl holding a Magnum against him. As she fired, Alex placed his bionic hand against the barrel, allowing the bullet to strike his steel palm instead before pulling off the barrel of the gun and tossing it aside.

All weapons were soon trained on her as Terrias shoved her away, and she threw the broken gun at the servine, chattering on in rapid-fire Japanese, her arms raised above her head.

"Akumi Satō?" Terrias snarled.

The girl gasped, stepping back, still rambling on in her native tongue.

Terrias stepped threateningly forward, baring his clenched teeth, still aiming his weapon towards her, saying, " _Eigo o hanasu, matawa watashitachi ga utsu_!"

"Who are you?" Akumi asked, in heavily-accented but moderately clear English.

"Someone's trying to kill you," the servine continued, "We're here to save your ass."

"I said who are you!?" she roared.

"We're friends," Zinnia replied, lowering her weapon and raising her hands as a sign of peace, "Now come with us before the people who are trying to kill you get here!"

"How do I know to trust you?"

"Trust me honey," Alex scowled, rubbing his bloody nose as the blue sparks of healing danced across the injury, healing it, "If we wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already. Now, if you stay here, you're dead! We need to get you out of here!"

"Who sent you?"

"Let's just say we have some insider knowledge..." Terrias replied, "Now enough questions, let's go before those bastards catch up!"

As they ran out of the room, Alex tapped his earpiece, "We've secured the girl, heading towards the gate for exfil...can you guys supply cover fire?"

"We're on our way over," Jazz replied, "Moving position, out."

They heard Japanese screams down the hall, and Alex turned to see four enthralled guards rush around the corner, taking aim with their weapons. The Commander swiftly cut them down with his suppressed weapon, and Akumi screamed. "Let's go!" he roared, running towards the bodies, "We can't stay here!"

Making their way downstairs, dragging Akumi along behind them, they would occasionally run into groups of thralls, which the trio would make short work of, fighting their way down to the back door. Once on the bottom floor landing, they rocketed through the double doors and out into the hall, forced to fall back as _Filios Diaboli_ shadow-knights clawed their way out of the ground, further terrifying the young girl they were bringing with them. "Stay back!" Terrias roared, quickly emptying his shotgun and loading it with Dragon's Breath rounds, firing towards the shadow creatures and disintegrating the within seconds. "GO!" he exclaimed, "Before they come back!"

More shadow-knights crawled out of the ground, but the servine blew them away with his incendiary rounds until they finally kicked open the back door and found themselves outside. Rain fell steadily down from the heavens, and their snipers blew apart the thralls and shadow-knights that were gathering around them. Soon after, sirens began to sound in the distance, and Alex tapped his earpiece, "We have police incoming, we need to avoid detection from those bastards! We can't afford another international incident!"

"Make your way around to the back of the compound," Rocket said, "There's a clearing just past the wall that we can regroup in, then lose any pursuers in the woods."

"This way!" Alex ordered, waving for them to turn around and run away from the gates. Police cruisers flooded into the complex now, and Alex ordered his group to stick to the shadows, all while his teams continued to provide them sniper support.

"Hunters!" Eli exclaimed, "I'm seeing three Hunters approaching from your four!"

Alex peered over his shoulder, spying the nearly invincible _Filios Diaboli_ shock troops busting through the ground like corpses exploding their graves. "They haven't spotted us!" Terrias responded, "Keep moving forward!"

Upon racing past the lecture building, a loud, electric zap filled the air, and a Minor Beam appeared in the center of the complex, connecting to the ground with a quake-like rumble that was strong enough to knock Alex's team off their feet and flooding the world with light.

"There goes our stealth!" Terrias grunted.

"We can still stay hidden, just stay away from the light and try to keep attention away from us!" Zinnia exclaimed.

"What _is_ that!?" Akumi asked, terrified.

"Long story," the Commander replied, and a distinct roared filled the air, forcing dread to settle in the hearts and stomachs of everyone present, "Oh for fuck's sake..."

"Are you serious!?" Terrias growled, and they peered out towards where the beam connected to see a Minor Breaker claw its way out of the ground, howling before launching towards the police and riot squads still flooding into the compound.

"Poor bastards..." Jazz said over the radio, "They're not gonna stand a chance..." and Alex looked to see the Breaker tearing the defending forces to shreds, throwing bodies around effortlessly.

"Hopefully they won't know what hit 'em..." Terrias responded, "Right, let's keep moving before those things sniff us out."

"What is going on!?" Akumi asked.

"Enough questions!" Alex hissed, "We'll explain later, but for now, we need to KEEP MOVING!"

"Yo, Alex..." Rocket suddenly began over the radio, "Scarlet and I are gonna go fetch the _Titan_ for extraction, the rest of you are gonna have to hold position till I get there."

"How long?"

"Fifteen, twenty minutes."

"We don't have fifteen minutes!" Terrias exclaimed, "Not with a goddamn Minor Breaker and _three fucking Hunters_!"

"At least try, huh? We'll hurry as fast as we can! Rocket, out!"

Upon reaching the north wall, Alex's team paused in place, the Commander covering the group's rear while Terrias propelled Zinnia onto the wall. The French girl now straddling it, Terrias cupped his paws and held them low, allowing Akumi to clumsily scramble onto him. Zinnia pulled Akumi onto the wall with her, ordering her to stay in place. With both girls straddling the wall, Terrias propelled Alex onto the wall, jumping into the air and grabbing Alex's outstretched hand. While Alex helped the servine up, Zinnia slid down on the other side, calling for Akumi to jump into her arms. With a scream and several seconds of reluctant action, the teen complied, and once both girls were safe on the ground, Terrias slid down next, Alex still covering them before he finally dropped down, too. "All right," Jazz began, "Eli and are overlooking the clearing, and he—still laying on the mountain trail that encircled the compound, waved towards Alex, thirty feet down a slippery slope into the clearing. The Commander waved back and both remaining snipers turned their attention towards the compound, taking shots at enemy forces on the other side.

"Fuck! Incoming!" Eli roared, "The Minor Breaker's spotted us!"

" _WHAT!?_ " Alex exclaimed, "Are you friggin' serious!?"

"Find cover! He's coming fast!"

With a loud, unnatural roar, the Minor Breaker leaped over the wall, landing in the clearing and screeching. The beast was immense, easily thirty feet tall, hunched over like a gorilla, with arms the size of tree trunks, and powerful legs angled like a frog's. Its fur was a bright, neon green, save its belly, which was a dingy tan. Two large, curved-inward horns protruded from its head, in addition to a crown of countless, much smaller, ivory knobs that lined the top of its head and down its back. Its hands were vaguely human in appearance, its face like that of a gorilla, and a stubby plume of fur extended from its rear like a bobbed tail. Thick ropes of muscle showed through its taut, short-furred flesh, and its mouth was lined with two rows of thousands of tiny, razor-sharp teeth. It was capable of opening its mouth unnaturally wide until its jaw was parallel with its neck, and even its screeches were similar to those of primates, although much deeper and much more powerful.

"Look out!" Alex exclaimed, rolling out of the way of a clumsy charge from the massive beast. The Minor Breakers were arguably the most intelligent of all of _Filios Diaboli_ 's forces, able to quickly adapt their strategy depending on what they were up against, capable of working very well together in groups, and were incredibly, impossibly crafty when it came to planning ambushes or cornering its foe and gaining the advantage. "Rocket! We're being bogged down by a Breaker that's got us in its sights! You might want to hurry it up!"

No response.

"Hunters incoming!" Jazz hissed, "Looks like everybody's dead and the Breaker got their attention!" and Terrias swore.

The Breaker barreled past them, leaving the group barely able to dodge its charge—and covered from head-to-toe in mud. Reaching towards his waist, Alex pulled the pin on a flashbang, tossing it towards the creature and temporarily distracting it in a blinding flash of light. While the Breaker recovered, the group turned their attention to the three Hunters now pestering them. In the chaos, one Hunter grabbed Akumi, zipping away, and the girl's screaming alerted the rest of Alex's team.

The crack of a sniper rifle filled the air and the Hunter's head disappeared in a burst of blood and gore, popping like a balloon. Before the creature could regenerate, Alex was immediately on the spot, repeatedly hacking it to pieces with his sword until nothing but dozens of bloody chunks remained, which he kicked around and scattered. Out of breath, he chuckled, "Let me see you grow _that_ back!" He helped Akumi to her feet, guiding her back to the rest of the team before tapping his earpiece, "Thanks..."

"You're welcome," Jazz replied.

With a vicious snarl of fury, the Breaker prepared to charge again, pawing at the muddy ground, large puffs of smoke and dust blowing from its nostrils, faintly glowing as if the creature was made of fire beneath all the charred skin and fur, and a small army of shadow-knights crawled out of the ground. Again, Alex tossed another flash grenade, not only dazing the Breaker again, but blinding the Hunters and completely incinerating the shadow-knights. "Take note!" Alex exclaimed, out of breath while he dispatched the remaining two Hunters in a similar manner to how he had finally killed the first one, "Shadow-knights are as weak to flashbangs as they are to incendiary rounds!"

"Sluggers are, too..." Zinnia chuckled, those things are crawling all over New Alexandria, lob a flashbang at them when Cthulhu exposes itself, and you have nothing left but boiled calamari."

"That's useful to know."

"Now...about the Breaker..." Terrias began, nodding towards the slowly-recovering behemoth.

"Leave 'em to me!" Rocket suddenly said over their radio, and a powerful gust blew through them, threatening to knock them off their teeth, as a blindingly bright spotlight shined down upon the battlefield, focusing on the Minor Breaker, and the _Titan_ appeared over the treeline. "You guys might wanna stay back..."

Hovering in place, the metal plates beneath the cockpit windows shifted and pulled back, revealing a circular, pitch-black abyss. A ball of green energy began to form in the mouth of the abyss, growing larger and darkening until it was a bright reddish-pink. A mechanical rumble sounded, growing louder and louder, higher and higher pitched, until a beam of red light fired out of the abyss, through the ball, and connecting onto the Breaker with explosive results. Beneath the relentless, continuous beam of energy, they watched as the Breaker's flesh and fur melted off its bones before the creature itself finally disintegrated into ash, blown against the wall and across the field in the unnatural, hot, and ozone-scented winds generating from the machine. The plates shifted back into place, covering the mouth of the smoking Reaper cannon, and the machine emitted the trademark Reaper horn, like a booming, deafening, mechanical trumpet. The _Titan_ landed in the field, the stairway falling open to reveal the interior of the craft, and over an intercom system, Rocket exclaimed, "Hop on! We're getting the hell outta Dodge!"

Once everyone was aboard the aircraft, sitting in the lounge and catching their breaths, Rocket took off into the air, heading back to the Gothics. After several minutes of silence, and once everyone, sans Alex and Akumi, had retired to bed, the young girl sneaked up behind Alex, forcefully pressing the barrel of his AK47 against his head. "Now, who are you?" she hissed.

In a swift, fluid motion, Alex ducked beneath her arms, tearing the weapon free from her hands, and shoved his open hand against her chest, knocking her back several feet and sending her stumbling towards the ground. He quickly turned the gun on her, speaking in a calm, cold voice, "I suggest you think twice before pulling shit like that again."

She backed away, casting him an offended and distrustful glare, "Who are you?"

Slowly lowering his weapon, he responded, "My name is Alex Vaughn, Great Commander of the Terminator Militia..." he extended a hand towards her, "I'm the one who just saved your deviant ass."

She shoved his hand aside, picking herself up and brushing off her clothes, "Why?"

"Because those creatures down there? They came for _you_...they came to _kill_ you," he poured himself a shot of vodka from the bar—the only drink it had, "The least you can do is thank me."

"You broke into my room, kidnapped me, and murdered those guards, and you expect _me_ to thank you?"

"I saved your life...and those guards weren't even guards...they were possessed by these demons called _Filios Diaboli_ , an army from Hell commanded by your dear old daddy, Vergil."

"My dad is dead," she hissed, eyes narrowed.

"That what your mother told you?" Alex chuckled, sitting down on one of the couches, across from the girl, "No, your rotten, diseased cunt of a father is well and truly alive, and has a bounty on _your_ head. So, I gotta ask, why would he want you—his own flesh and blood—six feet underground?"

"How do I know you're not lying? How do you know who I am?"

"The Terminator Militia has a few little birdies here-and-there...we hear things, rumors...we prove how accurate they are, and then we act. Whether or not you choose to believe us is irrelevant, but if Vergil wants you dead, _we_ want you alive."

"And what use could I _possibly_ serve to you freaks?"

"Well that's just the thing," Alex chuckled darkly, "We don't quite know yet...all we know is that an enemy of Vergil's is a friend of ours."

"I am no _friend_ of you."

He shrugged, "Fair enough..." then, standing upright, "Follow me."

"Why?"

"I have something to show you," and the Commander began walking towards the stairs. Reluctantly, Akumi followed, finally finding Alex standing beside a storage room for ammunition. He nodded towards it, and the girl, rolling her eyes, stepped into the room, crouching beside a rolled sleeping bag and pillow sitting on the floor. Immediately, Alex slammed the gate shut, locking it in place, and Akumi zipped around, running towards the locked gate and shaking the bars.

"Hey! _HEY!_ What the fuck!? Let me out! Let me out this instant! I'll kill you! You hear me? When I get out of here I'm gonna FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Goodnight, Akumi," Alex replied, idly waving goodbye as he disappeared down the hall leading to the crew quarters.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" she roared, screaming as loud as she could, "YOU BASTARD! LET ME OUT OF HERE! LET ME _OUT!_ "


	23. Chapter XXII: Axios

_**Chapter XXII**_ **:**

 **-''Axios''-**

 **-Above Africa-**

 **- _16 October 2016_ -**

 **- _0957 Hours_ -**

Alex entered the cargo hold from the crew quarters, spying Akumi sitting in front of the bars, glaring at him. "Let me out, I have to pee."

The Commander continued upstairs, ignoring her.

"Hey! _HEY_! I have to pee! Let me out of here!" and she swore, plopping back down again, running her fingers through her hair.

Alex returned a few minutes later, throwing a small bucket through the bars, "There you go," he replied, continued back up.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this!?"

"That's your toilet," the Commander chuckled, disappearing upstairs.

She scoffed, throwing the bucket onto the ground and kicking it into the bars, growling angrily. When at last he turned around, she saw the Commander's girlfriend, Zinnia, standing in front of her makeshift cell, "What? You gonna make fun of me, too?"

"No," Zinnia replied, then, "I'm sorry about this...I know this seems kinda barbaric, but in our line of work, we can't take risks."

"Line of work? What even _are_ you creeps?"

"We're soldiers."

"What a weird bunch of soldiers: three people, two animals, one giant, man-sized rabbit, and a Pokemon..."

"I know it may seem a little strange, but I assure you, we're only trying to protect you."

"Then let me out of here."

Zinnia cast her a sympathetic smile, "I wish we could...but you'll be much safer in there anyway."

"Safer? How will I be safer! I'm being held prisoner!"

"Just trust us, once we get back to the Gothics, we'll let you out."

"You know, when my mom finds out I'm gone, she's gonna flip out."

"We'll send her a letter when we can," and Zinnia approached the cell, gently wrapping her hands around the bars, "Don't worry, you'll be safe with us."

"I want my mom, take me to her. Now."

"I can't do that."

"Can I borrow your phone then?"

The two stood off for a few minutes, Zinnia still smiling sympathetically, but still remaining alert for deceit, Akumi wearing a determined smirk. Finally, the French girl reached into the pocket of her shorts, fishing out her phone and handing it through the bars. Akumi's briefly bowed her head, "Thank you."

"Do you need still need to use the bathroom?"

The young girl nodded, and Zinnia unlocked the cage, opening it and extending a hand. After several tense seconds, Akumi accepted the offering, the the French woman led her young companion to the restroom just off the crew's quarters, letting the girl inside before standing guard outside the door, waiting patiently.

After she had taken care of business, Akumi tapped her mother's phone number into the device, pressing it tightly against her ear and waiting patiently for her to pick up. After several seconds, the unmistakable voice of her mother spoke over the line, frantic after hearing the news. Akumi calmed her, explained the situation, and just as she was finishing up her tale, she could hear frantic knocking on the other end of the line. This continued for a few seconds before her mother returned, now whispering and frightened, explaining that strange men, armed with guns and with black eyes was outside. What _really_ caught the young, Japanese girl off guard, however, was when her mother mentioned shadowy skeletons crawling out of the ground and gathering around the house. Eyes widening, Akumi quickly excused herself, terminating the call and shoving open the bathroom door, nearly running into Zinnia, waiting outside.

"My mom needs help!"

"As I said before, I can't do..."

"You don't understand! She said that those shadow skeletons are surrounding the house! They crawled out of the ground and...and there's these black-eyed gunman waiting outside her door!"

Instantly, Zinnia was alert, frantically rushing down the hall, Akumi trailing behind, "Alex?" the French girl began nervously, "We need to go back there!"

"What's going on?" the Commander asked, glaring at the Japanese girl, who's eyes narrowed.

" _Filios Diaboli_ 's going after her mother."

"I can't warp over there!" Rocket protested, manning the controls. He and Alex were standing in the bridge, Scarlet had retreated to bed, and the raccoon sipped at a cup of coffee while he piloted, "Did you forget when I said that I took a huge risk warping here from New Alexandria?"

"You'll have to take the chance again! _Filios Diaboli_ is going after her mother, we need to go save her."

"Okay, c'mon, Alex...isn't she a bit young for you? 'Sides, I thought she hated you, how is it you're already ready to meet her parents?"

"This isn't funny, Rocket!"

The raccoon sighed, "There's an eighty percent chance that we'll blow up instead of successfully appearing over Japan...do we even know where this girl's parents live?"

"I know where her mother lives, yes."

"How?"

"Sam told me during our initial briefing, now get over there!"

"Fine, fine...jeesh...but if we all die, I'm blaming you," and he tapped at the console, "Now...eh...you might wanna buckle in. This will be a rough ride."

The _Titan_ appeared in the skies outside of Takayama, Rocket piloting it to a quiet, isolated corner in the wilderness outside to land the machine. Once it had landed and the raccoon killed the engines, the ship's occupants disembarked, with Alex, Terrias, Zinnia, and Akumi being the last ones to emerge. "You calmed down?" Alex asked the latter.

"Antagonizing her won't help you," Zinnia sighed.

"If you help save my mom, I'll do whatever you want."

The Commander said nothing, and Terrias responded, "Let's just keep moving, all we're doing by sitting here, wasting time, is further endangering her mother," and he continued forward, the others following closely behind.

Akumi hurried ahead, eyes nervously snapping around, walking fast enough that the others had to jog to keep up with her. Near the outskirts of the city, they found her mother's home: a small house in the center of an acre of land, the surrounding land decorated beautifully into a gorgeous garden. "We should be careful," Zinnia said, "If this is a trap set by Vergil, we probably have an army waiting for us to walk into it."

"I don't care!" Akumi scowled, "I'll kill whoever tries to threaten my family!"

Rocket burst into wild laughter, "Oh yeah, cause that'll totally work...in case you didn't realize, _Filios Diaboli_ are a bunch of friggin' demons. Even _we_ have a bitch of a time killing those things, and we're mutants!"

Akumi growled, eyes narrowing into a homicidal glare, baring her teeth through pale lips, "I have a few surprises."

"Famous last words," the raccoon sighed.

"If you don't want to help, then don't bother coming with me! But I'm going in there with or without your help!"

"No shit we're helping you, why do you think we're here?" Alex spat.

"This place is beautiful..." Zinnia began, looking around the yard at the gorgeous scenery.

"It's too quiet..." Terrias said, "I don't like it."

"I'm with Terrias," the Commander replied.

Finally reaching the front door, Alex and party took defensive positions around the door, attempting to turn the knob, only to find it locked. With a sigh, Akumi knocked, waiting patiently for a response. When, after several minutes, there was no response, the young girl tried to bust down the door, only for Alex to shove her aside and quickly pick the lock, shoving the door open crawling in first, AK47 scope against his eyes, glancing around.

"Spread out," Alex ordered, "Clear the house."

"What do I do?" Akumi asked.

"Stay here with Zinnia," the Commander replied, nodding towards the French girl before continuing onward into the darkness.

Creeping through the house, Alex was weary for even the slightest sign of trouble. The slightest creak of a floorboard or the whistle of the wind outside alerted him. As he always seemed to sense in the presence of _Filios Diaboli_ , he was overwhelmed by a bad feeling that he could not shake. Something bad was lingering just out of his line of sight. A shadow passed in the corner of his eye, and his head snapped to the left, glancing around cautiously before creeping towards where he had seen the figure move. He paused where the hall he had been traveling intersected a second hall, glancing around in the darkness. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he violently rotated on his heels, aiming his AK47 and preparing to fire.

"Hey! Hey!" Terrias whispered harshly, "It's just me!"

Lowering his weapon, the Commander scowled, "Thought you were smarter than to sneak up on me like that, man."

"Yeah, well...I've seen some shit...figures walking down the halls, disappearing before I could get there...I don't fucking like this place."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We're not alone in here...three times now I've seen some creepy figures wandering around. I've been stalking an old man that's been walking around."

"What? This isn't funny man, I'm not in the mood for this shit."

"Yeah, well I wish I was lying. So far, I've seen that old man, I've seen a bloody, little girl in a white dress, and I've seen this woman walking about like she's in prayer."

"Vergil's toying with us."

"You think he's here?"

"Not sure, but I know that _Filios Diaboli_ is here...I can sense them...that dark, foreboding feeling."

"Let's stick together then...we'll be safer that way."

"What's wrong, Terrias? Scared?"

"Fuck you..." then, "Yes..."

Alex smirked.

"Oh shut up, wormy."

Alex's mischievous smile suddenly vanished, evolving into a snarl, and Terrias grinned, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The two walked alongside each other through the halls, remaining silent and alert for anything off. A blast of thunder startled them both, making them both jump, and in a flash of lightning, they could see a shadow moving swiftly along the walls. "Over there!" Alex hissed, and the two immediately ran for the window, stopping in front of it to look both directions.

"It's the woman!" Terrias exclaimed, pointing down the hall, towards another T-juunction to their right. Sure enough, the Commander could see what appeared to be a tall woman in a bloody wedding dress, her head was bowed before her, veiled by her black hair, her hands were clasped together, and a sound like quiet sobbing emanated from her. Most disturbing of all about the figure, was that as she continued passed the window at the end of the hall, her legs didn't seem to be moving, it was as if she was gliding by.

Alex's eyes widened, "Fucking hell...I didn't sign up for this..."

"C'mon, Alex! Ghosts aren't real, it's Vergil playing tricks on us, remember? Now let's go!" and he grabbed Alex's hand, racing down the hall and pursuing the apparition, who seemed to have vanished, "Where did she go?" Terrias growled through clenched teeth.

Upon reaching the final end of the hall, they found a door, open ajar, where flashes of lightning shined through the cracks. They could see something moving beneath the door, and Terrias held a finger to his lips, waving for them to move forward. Staying close to each other, they crept down the dark hall, eyes planted firmly to the sights on their weapons. They stacked up on the door, and taking a deep breath, Terrias kicked it open, flooding into the master bedroom with Alex right behind him. A door to their immediate left slammed shut, and both soldiers abruptly turned towards it.

"In there..." the servine began, creeping forward with Alex directly behind him. Once they reached the door, the one leading into the bedroom abruptly slammed shut behind them, again making them both jump, and Terrias growled, "I think I just pissed myself."

"Hot..." the Commander replied with dry humor, and the duo stacked up once more. This time, it was Alex who kicked open the door, and the two charged in, finding themselves in the master bathroom. They lowered their weapons, finding Akumi's young mother bound and gagged. She stared in horror at them, her eyes wide and tearstained, and while Alex covered the door they had come in through, Terrias ran forward to free the captured mother.

"Anita Satō?" Terrias began, "Don't freak out, we're here with your daughter to rescue you," and the servine pulled out a switchblade from the pocket of his long, black, leather, unbuttoned trench coat, popping open the blade and cutting through the towel that gagged her.

"No!" she exclaimed as soon as Terrias had thrown the rag to the floor, "It's a trap!"

"What?" the servine began, shortly before a tentacle busted through the floor of the bathroom, wrapping itself tightly around the Pokemon, "Alex!" he cried.

The Commander instantly turned towards the restraining tentacle, black and oily, firing his weapon in short bursts towards it before _another_ one busted through the floor, swiping through the bathroom, into him, and knocking Alex through the wall of the bathroom and out the bedroom window. He screamed as he flew through the air, hitting the ground and rolling clumsily to a stop in the side yard. While he picked himself up and healing sparks took care of his injuries, black mist seeped out of the ground, gathering into formless masses before solidifying to reveal dozens of shadow-knights standing around him. Alex quickly pedaled through the mud, finding his back against a fence as the knights approached him, and he created two flames in his fists, lobbing fireballs at them with his right hand, while his bionic left one shot a continuous stream of flame towards them, akin to a flamethrower.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Alex roared, turning around and running parallel to the fence, trying to find the gate leading out of the backyard and back towards the front, "Shit, shit, shit, _SHIT!_ "

Several tentacles burst through the mud and soil in front of him, cutting off his escape route, and he fell back with a scream, watching as mud and worms slid off the disgusting obstacles, swiping towards him in an attempt to knock him off his feet. He ducked beneath the first swipe, jumping over the second before turning around and running back, trying to find another way around, cutting down the constantly spawning and encroaching shadow-knights lumbering towards him.

"FUCK!" he roared, sliding to a stop as the wall of the master bedroom exploded out and Vergil strolled out of the house. Several tentacles protruded from his back, including the one that bound the captured Terrias, struggling to break free.

Another tentacle held Anita imprisoned, and the multiversal chuckled, "Commander, it's good to see you again."

"What the hell do you want, Vergil!?"

"To make a trade," the tall, unnaturally thin and ashen-gray man replied, his voice airy, as if made of wind, "These two for my daughter."

"Don't do it, Alex!" Terrias grunted, "We need Akumi a _hell_ of a lot more than you need me!"

"I think the condition of my request is more than fair...two for the price of one."

"Let them go, Vergil!"

"Only once you hand over my daughter."

"You aren't gonna get her either! This has nothing to do with them!"

"You're right..." he chuckled, eyes narrowing, "It's about how you killed Deitus," and he turned to face Anita, grinning widely as the tentacles around her body coiled even tighter. She screamed in pain, speaking in rapid Japanese before, with a disgustingly loud and audible, liquid crack, she fell completely silent and limp, and the multiversal cast the body carelessly aside, the restraining tentacle retreating into his back., " _This_ one will be a little more fun to play with..." Vergil chuckled.

Thinking on a dime, Alex retreated into his mind, rapidly scanning the world and isolating Cynder's mental presence, _We need you, now!_

Her response was immediate, _On my way!_

"Let's see how long it takes to get you to scream, eh?" Vergil chuckled, addressing Terrias, before he through the Pokemon high into the air. With a terrified gasp, Terrias frantically pawed the air, covering his eyes as he neared the ground. Before he could land, however, one of the multiversal's tentacles snapped towards the servine, wrapping around the creature's body and catching him mid-fall. Several times, Vergil toyed with the creature in a similar manner, eyes never averting from Alex's "Final time, give me the girl or I'll kill this petty creature _and_ take my daughter _by force_."

When the Commander stood firm and strong, refusing to submit, the furious multiversal roared animalistically, tossing Terrias even further into the air, this time much higher than before, and everything snapped into slow motion for Alex. Most of Vergil's tentacles went on the offensive, snapping like angry vipers towards the Commander and preparing themselves to strike, ready to impale him. Alex fell back to the ground, pulling away from the attacking tentacles in an attempt to evade the strike as Cynder emerged in the rainy sky above in a flash of light, her maw open and ready. A ball of black and gold fire appeared in the center of her open jaws, and she spat a pillar of similarly covered flame onto the multiversal. Vergil screamed as his body disintegrated into mist against the heat of the attack, his tentacles spastically flinched and stabbed uncontrollably, and as Terrias neared the ground, one happened to stab forward in its wild flailing, impaling the servine through the stomach from behind and stopping him in midair. His eyes widened, and he clutched towards his chest, just as the tentacle disintegrated into black, dripping, syrupy oil, allowing him to fall the final few yards into a harsh landing on his stomach in the mud. Meanwhile, the rest of Vergil's tentacles melted against the heat, his body now completely reduced to a cloud of rapidly-diminishing mist and ash, against Cynder's relentless flame.

The she-dragon closed in towards her prey, shortly before she was knocked out of the sky—and Alex was sent flying even further back, painfully smashing into the stone perimeter fence—by an explosion of black flame and oil that emerged from the tangled cloud of smoke that stood where Vergil once was. After the seizure of Cynder's attack, and while the she-dragon spiraled uncontrollably towards the ground at breakneck speed, the mistified Vergil rapidly retreated into the ground, seeping into it and disappearing. Alex, lights flashing before his eyes, breathless, and disoriented, tried to stand up, only to find that his legs refused to cooperate and he merely fell to his hands and knees again. Meanwhile, Cynder crashed head-first into the ground, clumsily somersaulting several meters forward until sliding to a stop, on her stomach, in a puddle of mud.

For several minutes, Alex simply laid there, barely aware, staring at his downed comrades in silence, the only sound being the patter of rain against the stone path the snaked throughout the garden and against the leaves of the cherry blossoms surrounding him. Now sitting back against the cold, slick, perimeter wall, his vision slowly darkened, and his head slowly lowered to his chest. Just as he reached the edge of consciousness, he was startled into full alert by Zinnia's frantic calling of his name, and he turned to see the young woman sprinting towards him, the rest of their group in tow. "MOM!" Akumi cried, spying her mother's broken body laying, discarded, across the yard, and she quickly ran over to the woman, collapsing by her side and trying to shake her awake, crying hysterically and rambling incoherently in her grief.

"Stay with me, Alex..." Zinnia said, "We'll get you out of here."

"Terrias...Cynder..." he groaned, voice slurred, weakly raising an arm and pointing towards the two bodies before his arm fell limply back to his side, and he leaned his head back against the wall.

With a groan, Cynder slowly picked herself up, standing on unsteadily legs before shaking her head. Sparks danced around her body like an aura, and she glanced around her, as if trying to figure out where she was and how she had gotten there. Terrias, too, finally stood back up, wobbling on his heels, hand pressed tightly to his stomach. He looked down to observe himself, smirking weakly at the sight of the blood drenching his torso and coat. "Well..." he choked, forcing a weak chuckle, "Isn't this just fucked..." before he collapsed forward once again.

Zinnia ran to his side, helping him back to his feet again, "We need to get the out of here!" the French girl hissed, "Quickly!"

"I'll take Terrias back..." Cynder replied, "The rest of you grab the _Titan_."

"What about Alex!?"

"I'm fine," the Commander replied, "I can stick around here in case they come back, take Akumi with you."

"I'm not leaving my mom!" the girl protested, "You bring that ship here, and you take _ALL_ of us!"

"She's dead..." Terrias groaned.

"I don't care! I'm not leaving her!"

"Guys..." Alex began, finally standing upright while his _own_ wounds heal, "Go grab the _Titan_ , be quick about it. I'll stay here to guard Akumi."

"No!" Zinnia protested.

"Yes!" Alex hissed, "Go get the ship!"

"What about you?" Jazz said, "We're not just gonna _leave_ you here!"

"You stay here with them," Zinnia said, "I'll go with the others to get the _Titan_ , and we'll be _right_ back!"

"Fair enough..." Jazz replied, and he waved them off, with Cynder and Terrias heading back soon after. Eventually, only Jazz, Alex, and Akumi remained, with the three huddling close together in the shade of one of the trees, guarded from the rain. Suddenly, the rabbit went fully alert, and his head snapped around.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, sitting against the tree, trying to recover his strength.

The rabbit readied his weapon, "We have some visitors..." and before anyone knew what had struck, the tree behind them exploded in a sea of shrapnel and heat, knocking all three of them to the ground. Alex, laying on his knees, staring towards the ground, his ears ringing with tinnitus, gasped for breath and looked up, only to feel something cold and hard smack the back of his head, knocking him prone onto his stomach. He felt a weight, like that of a foot, on his back, before he was forcefully rolled onto his back, staring upwards through the rain falling into his eyes to see an all-too-familiar face standing over him.

"Sonichu..."

"Father," the hedgehog began, "Looks like its our old friends again..." and he stepped aside for Alex to see the short, fat man wobbling towards him.

"Well," Christian began with a chuckle, "You just like getting involved in things you don't belong in, do ya?" then, "Any sign of those stupid shadow monsters?"

"No," Sonichu replied, "Just this freak."

"But I thought the telepaths said they were here?"

"Well apparently they were wrong," the hedgehog growled back.

"Oh well..." Christian replied with a grinned, planting a foot on Alex stomach and kneeling forward, spitting on him, "We have a much _better_ prize..." his grin then melted away, "I'm tired of him getting in our way, take him to New Bethlehem."

Barely conscious, Alex was lifted in a fireman's carry, being taken to some place unknown. The smell of ozone lingered around Sonichu like a aromatic aura, making the Commander nauseous, and as his consciousness slowly faded away, they stopped suddenly.

"Look at this piece of work..." Christian said, "Always heard that Japanese girls are the naughtiest...go ahead and take her, too."

Sonichu grunted, "You want me to take the fucking rabbit, too?"

"Nah, I have no use for him...just leave him. Grab the girl and we'll get outta here, it's cold and wet and I don't like it."

In an exasperated tone, the hedgehog replied in his slightly layered, electric voice, "Fine."

Alex was shifted around before he heard a grunt from behind him, and upon turning his head to the right, he saw the bleeding, unconscious Akumi dangling across the hedgehog's other shoulder before he continued ahead. Weakly, Alex lifted his heavy head to see Jazz's unconscious form grow farther and farther away before at last the darkness enveloped him and his senses faded into nothing.


	24. Chapter XXIII: God's Company

_**Chapter XXIII**_ **:**

 **-''God's Company''-**

 **-Skyrim, Tamriel-**

 **- _18 October 2016_ -**

 **- _0630 Hours_ -**

Synthia opened her eyes, groaning against the intoxication of some kind of sedative surging through her system. Blinking around until her eyes adjusted the light, she spied the rest of the Omniversals laying around her, still out, and she stiffened. She jumped onto her feet, frantically looking around, trying to identify where she was. Finally, she realized that she was back in that abandoned shack, the same one where they had found Alex's body, and the Omniversal smiled victoriously, overjoyed that her carefully-concocted plan had worked. She turned around, seeing three figured hunched over on the other side of the room, their hands bound behind their backs, bags over their heads, and Synthia turned once again to see a red-dyed, leather-clad woman lounging on top of an old, dusty bookcase. "You must be Astrid..." she smirked.

The woman stiffened, although she tried to hide it, "That old woman at the orphanage you killed...she was a Dark Brotherhood contract...a contract that _you_ stole."

"That was the point."

Astrid said nothing for several minutes, "You must have a lot of nerve—or a lot of stupidity—to cross the Dark Brotherhood's Speaker."

"No, I just don't care."

"Well, allow me to make a proposition, I'll forgive you of your trespasses if you kill one of these three healthy, young captives. One of them is a criminal with a rather large bounty over their head, and an expensive contract. Kill them, and I will happily welcome you to our little family."

"No."

Astrid suddenly flipped off the shelf, landing on her feet and withdrawing her dagger, holding it towards Synthia, "You better step lightly! Angering the Brotherhood is a death sentence! Your mistake is thinking that I'm giving you a choice in the matter!"

Synthia smiled, unfazed by the older woman's threats, "And your mistake? Not paying attention to your surroundings."

Suddenly, the Omniversal sidestepped out of the way of an arrow, whistling past the Omniversal's head and planting itself firmly between Astrid's eyes, the tip punching through the back of her skull in a spray of blood, bone, hair, and gray matter. The woman stumbled backward for several feet before finally falling back, landing prone on her back upon the floor, arms outstretched as if crucified, a puddle of red quickly gathering around her on the oak floor, staining the thick layer of dust a brilliant red. Synthia turned to face the source of the arrow, seeing Violet holster his bow, just as the rest of the Omniversals awoke from their slumber.

Violet approached Synthia, "So... why did you want their attention in the first place?"

Instead of responding, Synthia continued forward, crouching by Astrid's side and relieving her of her uniform and dagger. Folding the bloodstained clothes neatly in the crook of her arm, Synthia twirled the Blade of Woe, waving it towards Violet.

"...Of course." Violet replied, rolling her eyes.

"What? It's my favorite weapon," Synthia responded, kicking Astrid's nude corpse, and without another word, the girl quickly undressed, leaving Violet to only shake her head. Now wearing the Dark Brotherhood armor, Synthia straightened, trying out the suit's flexibility before twirling the Blade of Woe once again and sheathing it at her waist. It was only then that the girl realized that Alex and Faythe had disappeared, "Where's Alex and Faythe?"

"They're probably off getting her the Nightingale Bow. Then they'll meet up with us in Solitude later on, so it's just us for now," Violet replied, kissing Synthia and smiling seductively.

With a chuckle, Synthia picked up on the hint, smiling back, "Alright then. Lead the way..." and Violet grabbed her hand, escorting her out of the shack. Behind them, a voice called out, "Is...is there anybody out there? Can somebody help us, please!?"

Across the world, Alex's eyes slowly opened. He awoke with a start, violently glancing around, trying to figure out what had happened. His recent memories were missing, and he felt truly frightened, "Where am I?" he asked, wincing at the pain flaring in the back of his head, and suddenly he remembered. He and Akumi had been captured by Christian and Sonichu...then, he realized...where was Akumi?

He climbed out of the dingy, stinking cot, his arms shackled together, and he walked to the bars of his tiny cell, wrapping his hands around them and peering out into the dark wing beyond. Directly across from him, a clock read just after one in the morning, and he groaned, squeezing his burning, stinging eyes shut.

"Akumi?" he asked, voice a whisper, "Akumi, where are you?"

The door to the darkened prison wing opened with a squeak, flooding the hall with stinging light, and the Commander, once his eyes had become adjusted, poked his head out to see who was approaching. Christan strolled down the hall, wearing an arrogant and determined smirk, with Sonichu following shortly behind, "Look who's finally awake!" the fat man taunted, "Here I was thinking you were dead!"

"Kiss my ass!" Alex hissed, "Where is Akumi?"

"Who?"

"Akumi! The girl you took!"

"Oh! Her! Well, you see, she's currently chained to my bed, and when she wakes up, we're gonna have a fun time...I might actually lose my virginity to a real girl!"

"You sick fuck! She's like fifteen! How old _are_ you?"

"Oh, _I'm_ the sick fuck around here? At least _I'm_ not the one that bones animals!"

"How the hell do _you_ know!?"

"Simple," Sonichu replied, "Your criminal record identifies you as a sex offender, and you were incarcerated for bestiality."

"Why the hell..."

"He was...curious..." the hedgehog replied grimly.

"I don't think it's important for you to know," Christian continued, "You know...I still have nightmares of the shit that you and that stupid lizard of yours did to us back there. I will make you pay for that!"

"What? Smother me underneath _your_ fat ass?" Alex smirked, "Not a chance in hell, mate."

"DON'T TEST ME!" Christian exploded, "Or you _WILL_ regret it!"

Alex backed away from his cell door, spreading his arms wide in a taunting gesture, "Come get some, I'm waiting!"

Christian roared, stomping towards Alex's cell, only for Sonichu to get between them with lightning speed, "Now hold on, Father! He's trying to trick you into opening that door so he can escape! Don't listen to his bullshit!"

Fuming, the fat man pointed a damning, accusing finger at the Commander, "You _don't_ wanna piss me off."

"You don't scare me, faggot," Alex hissed, "You're a cheap-shooting cunt who shoulda been a brown smear on your depraved mother's cum-stained mattress!"

With a tantrum-like scream, Christian ran to the cell door and violently shook the bars, "I'll kill you!" he roared, all while Sonichu stood behind, trying to pull his 'father' off the door, "You hear me? I will _KILL_ you!"

"Go ahead, Christ knows I've survived against much more threatening forces. Do your worst, you can't kill me, motherfucker. Hell, you can't even _hurt_ me without letting Vergil do the damage, then here you come by, scrounging for that fucking demon's rabbit pellets. Vergil, now _Vergil_ is a threat, not you sorry ass-lickers."

"We know he's a threat," Sonichu said, not even giving his enraged, fuming 'father' a chance to speak, "That's why we've been hunting him."

"That's why _you_ are hunting him," Alex replied, " _You_ , not your inept, depraved 'father'."

"How _DARE_ you insult me!" Christian scowled.

In a mocking tone, Alex responded, "How _DARE_ you ' _how DARE_ ' me again. Go back to English, you fuckin' retard."

With another enraged scream, Christian stormed out of the cell block, shouting from down the hall, "Sonichu! Come! Let that miserable little pile of crap rot! We have more _important_ things to attend to!"

"Oh, and by the way!" Alex called, cupping his mouth, "You may want to bathe first...girls don't like it when they fuck a guy that smells like vomit and body odor...I would know, I get more pussy on a daily basis then you will in your entire fucking life!" and the Commander cackled into wild laughter upon hearing another whiny scream.

"You best be weary about crossing us," Sonichu began, arms crossed, still maintaining his cool, "You don't want to see him in a fit of unbridled rage."

"I'm not scared of you, and I sure as _ALL hell_ ain't scared of _that_ fat fuck. But go ahead, _humor_ me, I've spent the last six months trapped in the Middle Ages, I'm in dire need of some better entertainment."

Sonichu said nothing, only turned and left the block, slamming the door shut behind him. Only once they were gone did Alex angrily smash his fist into the bars, breathing through clenched teeth as healing sparks danced across his arm. He sat down on his cot, thinking over methods of escape, and then he grinned as he realized something. They hadn't stripped him of his mutations, meaning that this prison was little more than cardboard and glue, something that wouldn't be too hard to break out of. _However_ , if he was in their capital, there was a likely chance that Tiberius and Athena were here, too...perhaps he could wait around for awhile, listen in and try to figure out where they were keeping the raptors. He squeezed his eyes shut, crouching to the ground and placing the palm of his hand against the cold stone floor, expanding his mind throughout the world, only to snap his eyes open once he realized that something was prevented him from seeing. He tried again, but once again to no avail. He barely managed to leave the confines of his cell before the pulsating, chalk outline-like painting of the world in his minds eyes ceased to continue expanding. In fact, he could see more just by looking out through the bars...what was creating such interference that it prevented him from seeing beyond his immediate surroundings? With a swore, he sat back down in the cot, debating whether to try and escape now, or wait awhile until he could figure out where Tiberius and Athena were being held. Briefly, his thoughts went to Akumi, about the hell that Christian would likely be putting her through, yet this didn't worry him. In fact, in a sick sort of way, he almost wished that the fat bastard _would_ put the bitch in her place.

With a sigh, he laid down, staring towards the dark ceiling, hands crossed at his waist, _Hold on guys..._ he thought, hoping it would reach the raptors, _Daddy's coming_.

" _NO! Leave her alone!"_

 _Alex opens his eyes at Tiberius' distinctly deep, guttural growl, and he frantically looks around for the source of the sound. A strange city that he's never seen before burns around him, and with a shrill, pained scream that the Commander deduces sounds like Athena, he is snapped away from this wartorn city to a dark room. His eyes adjust to the darkness, and he sees that he is in some fancy, luxurious parlor. Glancing around, he sees Christian strolling around the room, with Sonichu standing in one corner of the room, arms crossed at his chest, observing the events from the background. Looking even harder Alex sees two scaly shapes trapped in a stockade-like device, and his eyes widen once he identifies these two figures as Tiberius and Athena._

" _Put a muzzle on him!" Christian orders, and in a flash, Sonichu is standing beside Tiberius, wrestling with the bound raptor to attach a cage-like device around his mouth. Alex's blood boils, and he tries to attack, but only finds that his body refuses to cooperate. In a cold sweat, he realizes that he_ must _be dreaming, yet it's so vivid and detailed..._

 _It's a vision._

 _Only once Tiberius is properly muzzled does Christian regain his composure, and he grins widely, "You two stupid dinos are gonna paid for what you did to my city...what you did to glorious New Bethlehem! Your crimes against_ God's Company _won't go unpunished!" and he walks around behind Athena, telling to Sonichu, "Muzzle her."_

" _Yes, father," Sonichu replies with a nod, retrieving another muzzle laying on a nearby dresser and forcing it onto the female raptor. Now that she's silenced, Christian forces her head towards the floor, ordering Sonichu to keep her bound before he violently raises her tail and rear into air before..._

" _NO!" Alex screams, "ATHENA!"..._

...And the Commander's eyes shot open as he shot up in bed, out of breath. He runs to the bars, shaking them violently, attempting to tear the door off its hinges. The fires of a homicidal, insatiable fury and blood lust burn brightly and hotly in his eyes. The door to the cell block threw open and a guard marched in, complaining, "Cut out the racket!"

"Where's your fucking boss!? Where is that fat fuck!"

"Probably in bed sleeping," the guard replied, annoyed, "He has not time for white trash like you," and the guard prepared to walk away before.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING LEAVE ME!" Alex hissed, "You either let me out of here or I'll _break_ out! Your choice!"

The guard paused in his tracks, chuckling and turned around, walking back to the cell and leaning against the one across from Alex. Wearing a sadistic grin, he said, "You think you're scary?"

"I'm scarier than any fucking thing you've ever seen...except maybe your boss' hot, wet, fat ass."

"Go to sleep," the guard smirked, "Baby needs his naptime."

This sent the Commander over the edge, and he raised an arm, palm open and facing the guard. Instantly, the guard stopped in place, rapidly clutching as his throat and choking. Telekinetically, Alex brought the guard up against the cell bars, reaching through and manually grabbing him by the throat just as he released his telekinetic hold on the guard, the Commander now dizzy and nauseated by the strenuous ability. "I didn't _say_ you could walk away..." Alex hissed in a low, deadly voice, and he violently slammed the guard against the bars several times before throwing the broken, battered corpse into the cell door across the hall with a loud, almost deafening clatter. Almost instantaneously, several more guards charged into the hall to investigate, querying as to what was happening. Alex brought his hands together before his head, as if in prayer, and upon his eyes snapping open, he puled his hands away to reveal two blue-white orbs of fire in the palms of his hand. He crouched to the ground, slamming his palms against the floor, and with a quake-like rumble, pillars of flame burst from the floor around the rapidly approaching guards, setting them alight.

The door burst open again, and Christian wandered into the room, "What's with all the racket!?" he scowled, "Some people are trying to..." and he stiffened in place upon seeing the mangled corpse lying across from his lone prisoner's cell, and the other surviving guards running around in circles and screaming to be extinguished, "What the _hell_!?" the fat man screeched, stomping towards Alex's cell.

Upon arriving before the Commander's cell, Christian was startled by a stream of liquid spraying onto his shirt and pants, and his eyes abruptly snapped to Alex, shaking off and buttoning his pants back again.

"You sick prick!" Christian snarled, "How _DARE_ you piss on me! I'll kick your ass!" and Alex backed towards the wall as the fat man unlocked the door and stormed into the cell. For a brief few seconds, the two stood off before Christian pulled out a container of pepper spray from his now-soaked jeans. In a swift, eerily agile motion, Alex dove beneath the spray, jabbing his erect hand, fingers pressed together like a karate chop, into the fat man's stomach before ducking beneath Christian's flailing arms, stealing the ring of keys from the fat man's waist in the process, and stepping back to watch his foe collapse forward, gasping for breath. The Commander slipped out of the cell, slamming the door shut and locking it tight, leaning onto the bars, "Thanks for the termination of my sentence, you fucking retard," and Alex turned towards the door, quickly running out into the luxurious halls of what he could only assume was Christian's 'palace'. And palatial it was indeed. Upon leaving through the dark, dingy dungeon into red-carpeted, yellow walls of a first floor hall, lined with solid and cherry-stained oak doors, the Commander could peer out through decoratively barred windows nearby at a gorgeous, rectangular courtyard, surrounded by arcades, and with a reflection pool, well-manicured taperies and trees, and countless flowers. A red-brick path encircled the perimeter, and up ahead, spotlights shone at another part of the enclosed courtyard up ahead, pressed against a beautiful, starry, nighttime sky, and with an architecture that seemed curiously ripped from the _Taj Mahal_.

Again, Alex tried to expand his mind to find Tiberius and Athena, but his vision was still blocked, and with a swear, he passed through the bright-white, French doors, into the courtyard. The temperature was pleasant, a faint breeze blew through the air, scented, strangely, with a hint of ozone, and chirping crickets mixed with night birds and an unseen fountain to create the only ambiance in the immediate vicinity. Standing by the reflection pool near the center of the courtyard, Alex paused in his tracks, examining his surroundings in an attempt to get his bearings. The first question to come to mind was where he was. This didn't look like any city he had seen or even heard. He could tell from the architecture that it was the same city he had seen in his vision, only the discount _Taj Mahal_ was in one piece, not in ruins, and fires weren't burning everywhere. What had Christian called it in his vision? New Bethlehem? Just what country did the fat bastard _live_ in? Suddenly, from behind him, a large section of the palace he had just exited exploded, sending him instinctively towards the ground with an exclamation of surprise. On high alert, his eyes snapped back to the palace, and he watched, blood running cold, as blue flames spread outward from the approximate location of the dungeon, catching like wildfire, as if the very world itself was made of paper and wood instead of what he assumed to be marble and ivory.

He quickly raced through the courtyard, climbing up a vine arbor onto the adobe roof tiles that surrounded the palace. It seemed only the two short ends of the rectangular palace were larger and ornately decorated. The longer ends were just shy over three stories tall, with a more cathedral-like design to the exterior walls. Beyond the brilliantly green yard, past the towering, crenelated battlements, were well-maintained, asphalt roads lined with palm trees and tropical shrubs. Strangely enough, New Bethlehem's flora and temperate weather reminded him of the Floridian, oceanside city that his maternal grandparents lived in, but he could also, from his perch, see beyond the exterior walls of the city at snow falling lazily from the dark clouds. Confused, he looked back up towards the sky here, with not a cloud in the sky. Clouds encircled the city, but they seemed to be stopped by some invisible barrier, grant the city's occupants a view of what lay beyond the clouds...and apparently beautiful weather. Just where _was_ he? Upon further examination, Alex noticed that the sky above and even the air above the city walls shimmered and had a faint blue tint to them...was there some kind of forcefield protecting the city?

New Bethlehem itself enjoyed a strongly Indian-style architecture, further making the city's layout and conflicting themes alarmingly alien, as if its founders couldn't decide what style they wanted most and instead decided to throw everything together. There was even a building resembling the _Notre-Dame_ cathedralthat was directly adjacent to and across the street from the apparent palace. It wasn't even _influence_ as much as it was direct plagiarism.

A cry for help roused Alex from his awe, and he turned towards the palatial courtyard where he could see Akumi running across, tailed by three guards. The girl cried out as her ankle twisted and she collapsed to the ground, clutching at her foot. With a sigh and a low growl, the Commander ran towards the edge of the roof, leaping off of it and tackling two of the guards to the ground, safely landing on them before running towards the third and final spearman, ducking beneath the thrust, kneeing the man in the groin, and shoving kicking him into the reflection pool. "Take my hand!" Alex roared, the wide-eyed girl complied, and he threw her over his shoulder, making a run for another arbor.

"Over there!" a voice said from behind them, and Alex pulled himself onto the roof, turning around to see the third guard—the one he had pushed into the pool—soaking wet and climbing back onto dry land, pointing towards the two. A large group of guards appeared from seemingly out of the woodwork, dashing for the arbor. "Wake up Captain Sonichu!" the guard continued, and Alex turned to face Akumi, "You may want to hold on..." before he ran towards the opposite end of the roof.

"What...what are you doing?" she asked, "What are you doing!?"

"Hold on!" Alex roared, and he leaped off the roof, launching over the yard and over the wall, waors the street. Akumi screamed and grabbed his back tight enough that her fingernails dug into his skin, drawing blood. "When I say go, let go and somersault forward! You won't get hurt!"

"Are you crazy!?"

"GO!" and with a shrill scream, Akumi complied, clumsily rolling to a stop while Alex landed with a perfectly executed somersault, turning around to face the guards conversing on the rooftop, "Now's not the time to rest!" he ordered, forcefully grabbing the girl's arm and hauling her over his shoulder again, sprinting down the street. The girl screamed and Alex spat, "You know, it would be _so_ much easier if you didn't scream in my fucking ear!"

"Where are we!?"

"Did he hurt you?"

"What?"

"Did anyone hurt you?"

"Wh-Why?" then, "N...No, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Y-Yeah...o-one of the guards said they were going to make me a sex slave for that creepy fat guy, a-and I broke out!"

"But they didn't touch you?"

"N-No, not yet anyway."

Suddenly, an unseen intercom squeaked on to life, and Christian spoke over the ridiculously loud speakers, loud enough to allow everyone in the city and probably half of the surrounding towns, to hear him, "Two prisoners have escaped from the dungeons! They are _both_ classified as extremely dangerous and should be taken care of immediately! All soldiers in _God's Company_ are expected to find and detain them at once! Anyone who refuses to follow orders will be shot! Do _NOT_ let them get away!"

He was cut off as _another_ explosion tore through the palace behind them, stumbling Alex, although he recovered soon after, peering behind him. The distant palace was now almost completely engulfed in flame, and the _Taj Mahal_ rip-off was in the same shelled state that it had been in his dream...he was running out of time. Several spotlights clicked on, and Alex was startled by the whirring of chopper blades, "Are you fucking kidding me!?" he scowled, looking towards the dark sky to see several gunships circling the city, spotlights shining off the streets. Occasionally, guards ran out into their path, firing towards them with fully automatic assault rifles, and the Commander was forced to guard himself and the unmutated Akumi from the hail of bullets, little more than a nuisance to him, but entirely lethal to the girl.

"I don't get it!" Akumi complained, "What's this about!? These aren't the same guys that tried to kill me earlier!"

"Because this _isn't_ the same army!" Alex growled, "Your daddy ain't pulling the strings here, honey...this is a completely different group that's been pestering us on and off for the past several months."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Can it wait?"

"That man who murdered my mom..."

"That's Vergil," Alex replied in a bitter tone, "Your father."

"So...it _was_ him..." she replied in a such a disheartened and hopeless voice that it softened Alex's tone and feelings towards her. He truly felt sorry for her, she was just someone who had likely gone through a rough upbringing given Japan's strict parentage and had a likely inexperienced, single mother. Her cold, cynical shell was merely a defenses mechanism she had established to protect her emotions in the face of difficulty.

Alex sighed, "Don't worry, we'll get out of here and we'll avenge your mother."

"I...I can't believe she's gone..." she sniffled.

"Listen, Akumi...there will be time for mourning later, but for now, I need you to stay with me. I _need_ you to be the eyes in the back of my head, can you handle that?"

She nodded, "Yes, I can."

"Good, do that for me, and I'll get us _both_ out of here."

"Do you think we'll be able to? I mean, there's so many of them, and there's only a few of us..."

Alex chuckled, "Honey, you're talking to Alexander fucking Vaughn, the legendary _Son of Satan_ , these guys ain't got shit on me. This shit is a cakewalk compared to some of the things I've gone through before without any problem, and these guys are pussies compared to some of the armies we've dealt with in the past. Just wait, you'll be proud...I've got a few cards up my sleeve. Now enough chatting, keep me updated on what's going on behind us."

Up ahead, several spearman joined a phalanx, and three tanks sat with them, creating a blockade.

With a grin, Alex said, "Watch this shit..." and the tanks' HMG's opened fire on the group. With startling agility, the Commander strafed through the hail of bullets, dodging the attack before leaping into the air and flipping over the barricade, breathing a tongue of bright fire onto the gathered forces before landing smoothly on the other side, never breaking stride.

"How did you _DO_ that!?" Akumi exclaimed, "That was so cool! Like something out of anime!" then, as a flurry of bullets danced around the Commander's feet, she said, "There's still some alive!"

"Got it!" Alex replied, leaping into the air, and doing a 360 degree spin, panning a stream of continuous flame like a flamethrower from his left hand onto the group while summoning another spike of fire in his right. As he landed on the street again—facing forward still and never breaking his stride, he cartwheeled forward, slamming the spike of fire into the ground before landing on his feet again and continuing ahead. Behind him, several pillars of flame erupted from the street, engulfing the remainder of the barricade in white fire and collapsing the asphalt into the ground, preventing any vehicles from being able to pursue them from the ground.

"Helicopters!"

"I hear 'em!" Alex replied, focusing his hearing on the whirring of blades to keep track of their position behind him, strafing speedily to avoid their machine-gun fire, which tore into the buildings to either side of the street. Occasionally, the machines fired rockets towards them, but Alex merely leaped over them or shifted their path with a cloud of flame, directing them into various buildings to either side of the road. Up ahead, a tunnel cutting through the side of a cliff appeared in view, and the Commander continued determinedly forward. One gunship,what his ears identified as gliding back and forth between his four and seven o'clock, fired a rocket towards the duo. "Trust me on this, Akumi!" he exclaimed, and he through the girl forward, launching her into a clumsily landing in the middle of the street, just inside the tunnel.

Screaming, she crawled back as the helicopter rocket closed in on them, before her eyes widened with surprise and bewilderment as Alex flipped over the rocket, _using it as a launch pad_ while he jumped again in the air, launching an angular, burning wind towards the street before drilling forward and landing with a clumsy somersault in the middle of the cliff. The rocket, knocked off its path by the wind, crashed into the top of the tunnel collapsing the mouth and blocking it with an avalanche of dust and dirt. An eerie silence and darkness enveloped them, they coughed harshly against the stagnating dust, an Akumi began to panic, "We're gonna die down here! We're trapped underground!"

"Remain calm!" Alex ordered bitterly, trying to catch his breath, only to cough and hack against the offending smoke, "We'll be fine!"

"We're trapped!" she continued, "We're trapped, we're trapped, _WE'RE TRAPPED_!"

With a roar, he slapped the girl painfully across the face, knocking her aside with a loud _oof_. "Settle the _FUCK_ down!" he roared, blinking to activate his night vision. The girl was laying in a crumpled heap on the ground, sobbing quietly and rubbing her cheek. In a much calming tone, he continued, "Listen, we're gonna get out of here...and he crouched beside her, throwing an arm around her shoulder and hugging her, even as she tried to tear away from him, "Listen to me, Akumi. We _will_ get you out of here. At least we got those guys off our asses now. We'll escape, but I need you to trust me."

"You hit me..." she said, voice almost too quiet to be heard.

"I'm sorry...I lost control and my nerves are shot and..." he sighed, "No, you know what? There's no excuse, I'm sorry...but I need you to trust me. We _will_ escape, but only if you _trust_ me."

"I trust you..." she replied in a timid tone.

"Good, that's all I ask," and he gently picked her up, heaving her over his shoulders again and walking forward, "Remain calm...we'll survive longer down here in the event both sides are capped."

After several minutes of walking, Alex gently lowered the girl to the ground, crouching and placing his palm against the road, trying again to find Tiberius and Athena. When he found his vision was still blocked, his heart sank and he collapsed to the ground, leaning back against the cold, slimy wall of the tunnel, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Are you okay?" Akumi asked.

Silence for several minutes before the Commander responded, "These bastards...kidnapped my two kids. I've been trying to find them all night but...something is blocking me."

"You have kids? I didn't know you were married..." then, "Oh...is that girl who was with us your wife?"

"I'm not," he replied, "At least...yet anyway...maybe someday..." then, "And...uh...the kids thing is a little complicated and hard to explain...but I'm scared that something bad is going to happen to them."

"We'll find them, don't worry," she replied, "And when we do, they'll be fine."

He chuckled sadly, "Perhaps..." then, standing up again, "We should keep moving..." and he approached Akumi, helping her to her feet and preparing to pick her up again.

"No," she replied, "I can walk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Fair enough..." and they continued forward. Shortly after, the ceiling exploded above them, raining down and showering them in dust and debris. With a scream, Akumi fell back, and Alex shielded his eyes as he Sonichu fell into the tunnel, surrounded in a cloud of illuminating electricity.

"I've had enough of you two!" the hedgehog growled, grabbing the Commander by the throat and lifting him off the ground, pulling his balled fist back, electricity charging around it, "It's time I extinguish your rebellion once and for all!"

Before he could get the attack off, Akumi tackled the hedgehog, knocking him to the ground and punching him relentlessly. "Get off me, bitch!" he roared, and the air exploded around him in a sea of sparks and wild electricity, throwing Akumi off. Sonichu stood again, casting the slowly recovering girl a disgusted snarl before approaching Alex again. The Commander ran forward, lunging towards Sonichu, startled to find that he actually _fell through_ the hedgehog in a cloud of electrocuting mist. The illusion gone, the _real_ Sonichu appeared behind him, placing a foot firmly against the downed Alex's head and summoning a lightning spear from the palm of his hand, raising the spear into the air and preparing to bring it down on the Commander, "And now, it's time to die!"

Just as he moved to attack, Akumi ran towards Alex, her eyes glowing blue, and just as she placed a hand on the Commanders shoulder, they _both_ found themselves sucked up into slipstream space, only to reemerge back in the early morning garden surrounding Akumi's slain mother's manor in Takayama. Instantly, Alex was on his feet, head snapping back and forth before he lost control of his rage again and stormed towards Akumi, "What did you _DO_!?"

"I...I don't know!" she replied, terrified, "I just...I got angry and I felt something turn on inside me a-and now I'm here!"

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" he hissed, "Now we'll NEVER find Tiberius and Athena! What the _fuck_ is wrong with you!?"

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried, "I-I got scared and I was just trying to save you and..."

"Now that miserable pile of shit is going to hurt her and it's ALL YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR _FUCKING_ FAULT" Alex roared, pillars of fire bursting out of the ground around him. He collapsed to the ground then, curling into a ball, tiny fires burning around him, while Akumi cowered across from him, frightened at both him and what she had just done.

When things had calmed down between them once again, an they had both had time to cool down after the tense encounter, Akumi cautiously approaching Alex, still curled into fetal position on the ground, his shoulders heaving with heavy—although quiet—sobbing. She crouched beside him, starting to move a comforting hand over his shoulders before reconsidering, standing upright, and quietly backing away.


	25. Chapter XXIV: Heat

_**Chapter XXIV**_ **:**

 **-''Heat''-**

 **-New Bethlehem, Virginia-**

 **- _18 October 2016_ -**

 **- _0047 Hours_ -**

Tiberius was startled awake by sister's quiet sobbing. Both he and Athena had been trapped in a tiny cage in a dark room that never saw sunlight. Ever since they had been captured, they had been forced to live in this small cage, only being fed once a day...if they were lucky. Aside from some humans taking their blood every few days, the two raptors hadn't been really harmed, only neglected. "Dear Sister," he whispered, "Why do you cry?"

"Night terrors..." she replied, then, "Are you sure that Father is on his way?"

Although he didn't actually believe it himself, the raptor had been telling his sister that Alex was indeed looking for them, that they would be rescued eventually. Since he had fashioned the lie, she wouldn't drop the subject, and he wondered if he had made a mistake in telling the lie to begin with. After several moments of reluctant silence, Tiberius finally admitted, "No."

She cast him a sympathetic glare, "Of course he is...what am I saying? He would never leave us to rot! Don't worry, Brother, he will save us."

Tiberius looked away, only wishing he could have her optimism. In truth, he could only think about how Ares and Thanatos had treated their kind. He could only think of how, even to this day, his sleep was still haunted by the ghastly screams of his feral kin that had been slaughtered by the living machines and the humans who fought them. Attracting his interest as of late, were the scattered, fragmented thoughts of other dinosaurs...ones that seemed to have just come to life. Could _Perditus_ actually have survivors? These alien thoughts that he heard through the dusty, thought-to-be-destroyed Reaper hivemind were disjointed and young...there were dinosaurs _being born_?

This had especially captivated him as, lately, he had been thinking about finding a mate, perhaps granting a chance to restore his dying species...of which, until now, he had believed that only he and his sister remained. He curled around his beloved sister once again, nuzzling her affectionately while she buried her head beneath his muzzle. The two twins tangled in a small ball, they fell asleep together, helping each other through another rough, lonely night.

Tiberius, a light sleeper, awoke once again, lifting his head to look around. He thought he could hear screaming and gunfire. Squirming himself out from beneath Athena, he anxiously glanced around his cell, trying to listen for any more of the sounds that had roused him from his slumber. A loud, muffled explosion startled him, and he viciously turned to face Athena, "Sister! Wake up!"

Athena shot up, out of breath and glancing around like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, "What's wrong?"

"The city is under assault."

"Father?"

Tiberius said nothing, only cocking his head to listen in on the distant battle.

Athena smiled widely, "It's Father, isn't it...he came for us!"

"Don't get your hopes up, Sister," Tiberius replied.

Her smile diminished, "You don't trust him?"

"He has no reason to rescue us."

"He's our father..."

"He created us, but he isn't our father."

Athena only sighed, "He cares about us, you know."

"He created us to kill. We were born to kill, and once our purpose is done, he will let us die."

"How can you say such a thing?" she frowned, "Why don't you trust him? He really does care about us."

"If he cared about us, he wouldn't have let us get taken away."

"He was overwhelmed, he did the most he could do."

"He didn't do enough!"

The wall and floor across from their cell suddenly exploded, its shockwave knocking them both to the ground and nearly tearing the door off its hinges. Upon recovering from the blast, they watched as flames spread greedily across the floor and walls. Through the flames, they could see the city, and sure enough, tanks and helicopters were rolling down the street outside, heading somewhere unknown. "We're going to die here!" Athena cried.

"No, we will escape!" Tiberius growled, kicking the damaged door off of its hinges with his rear legs and running out into the hall, "Come, Sister! We must go! Our chance has arrived!"

With Athena in tow, Tiberius leaped down onto the floor below through the hole, doing this yet again to floor below that before falling down the remaining two stories into the palatial yard. Once his sister had rejoined him on the ground, the two raptors took off, following the perimeter wall and searching for a way to get over it. Occasionally, they passed by a group of guards, which they both worked together to instantly cut down, continuing on, never stopping or pausing for consideration. In the chaos and confusion lay their best chance to make their escape back to Vernhelm, and if they didn't take full advantage of it, they would be trapped until the fat man and his electric companion killed them, whether accidentally or on purpose, it didn't matter. Finally spying a breach in the wall, the two raptors quickly ran towards it, leaping through the hole and finding themselves on the street. Checking both ways, Tiberius led Athena forward, hoping that if they continued on, they would eventually run to the end of the city. Citizens drove past them, laying into their car horns and swerving to avoid the racing raptors, some civilians walking down the street, seemingly oblivious to the battle going on, screamed in terror and fled from the two escaped dinosaurs. Spotlights from the helicopters panned down the street, and Tiberius took great care to ensure that he and his sister stayed out of the way. Another explosion occurred nearby, from a power plant that was near the burning palace, and in an instant, all the city lights around them flickered out of existence, casting the world into an impenetrable darkness illuminated only by the spotlights of helicopters, the headlights of cars, and the fires spreading violently throughout the city.

"Stay hidden, Sister!" Tiberius ordered, "We cannot let them find us!"

Suddenly, an intercom sounded, and the fat man's voice came over the line, sounding furious, "Two prisoners have escaped from the dungeons! They are _both_ classified as extremely dangerous and should be taken care of immediately! All soldiers in _God's Company_ are expected to find and detain them at once! Anyone who refuses to follow orders will be shot! Do _NOT_ let them get away!"

"They found out!" Athena cried.

"Stay close to me and we will be safe, I promise," he paused only briefly to lovingly nuzzle his sister in an attempt to calm her before continuing his jot through the streets and alleys. Eventually, they found themselves at the ruins of an enemy blockade, now burning brightly, destroyed by something. Confused, Tiberius looked around, noticing that carnage dotted the street in several spots. A helicopter quickly passed over them, startling them both for an instant before the raptors watched it continue past, determined to get somewhere.

"What's going on? Are we invisible?"

An explosion further down the street caused _both_ of them to flinch, and Tiberius replied, "No...they're not _after_ us...they're after someone else..." he turned towards his sister, "Let's go."

"Wait, we're running towards it?"

"Yes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Could it be Father?"

Tiberius said nothing, only continued his jogged down the street, following where the helicopter had gone. As they continued ahead, they stumbled upon more and more carnage, the sound of gunfire drew closer, and Tiberius realized they were nearing the opposing side in the battle. "I've got eyes on 'em," a voice suddenly spoke over the radio of a nearby, deceased soldier, "On the corner of Fifth and Seventh, they're making a run towards the tunnel."

Another voice responded, "Keep on them, we cannot let those two escape!"

"Looks like the girl is injured, soldier boy is carrying her."

"Soldier boy?" Athena turned towards her brother, "A girl? Mother and Father!"

"Not now, Sister!"

When they finally reached the top of the hill, they both slid to a stop. Upon glancing down the hill, Athena's expression brightened, while Tiberius' sank into one of complete and utter disbelief.

"I can't believe it..." the male raptor replied.

"Father!" Athena cheered.

Down the street, Alex was dodging a hail of bullets from the helicopters and tanks pursuing him, evading and cutting down soldiers in his path, carrying a girl they couldn't recognize towards a tunnel carved into the side of a cliff. The helicopter fired a rocket towards him and he threw the girl into the mouth of the tunnel.

"We need to help him!" Athena cried, racing forward.

"No! Sister, wait!" but once he realized he was not going to get through to her, he snorted and followed in close pursuit.

"Father!" Athena cried, "You've come for us!"

"Sister!" Tiberius exclaimed, "Stop!"

Alex launched a heated, fiery wind towards the rocket approaching him, redirecting it upwards before diving into the tunnel and rolling into it, just as the rocket made contact with the arch, bringing down the entire front of the tunnel to create a blockade between the fleeing Commander and the two raptors.

"Father! _NO!_ " Athena cried, slowing to a stop and collapsing in the middle of the street.

"Sister..." Tiberius replied, running to her side, "Come, we need to get out of here."

"You were right..." the female raptor lamented, defeated and betrayed, "He _doesn't_ really care about us..."

"He came for us...he didn't even wait to bring more people to help him...I think that in itself is a testament to how much he cares."

"He turned back..."

"He was outnumbered, even _he_ knows when the odds are against him. He'll come back, but for now, we need to get out of here. If we can get there first, he won't have to worry about risking everything to come back here again."

Just then, he was interrupted as a helicopter passing over them stopped in place, its spotlight focusing on the twins. "The raptors escaped!" a voice called from another nearby corpse's radio, "Capture them!"

"We need to run!" Tiberius hissed, turning around and running for an alley, "Sister, this way!"

Now that they had been spotted, more soldiers and machines of war crawled out of the woodwork, trying to encircle and trap the raptors, preventing their escape. Unarmed and against superior defenses, the raptors were forced to resort to evasion, cutting down any infantry when they could, but otherwise left with no choice but to run and hope they could lose the pursuing machines. Tiberius kept leading them, thinking on a dime to find a way to get both he and his sister to safety, or at least his sister. He was more than willing to make a stand and hold off the enemy if it could ensure Athena could escape safely. She was more important to him than anything else in the world, protecting _her_ was his top priority.

Just as they thought they had actually managed to lose the pursuing forces, three helicopters appeared over a building across the street, and the two raptors found themselves trapped in the center of the machines' spotlights. Tiberius turned to flee further down the street, but found himself cut off as several tanks burst through the walls of the buildings, cutting off their advance. He turned the opposite direction, but again, tanks charged around the corner, forming a blockade. Behind them, soldiers emerged from the alley, too many to take down, and they took on a defensive stance. Up ahead, a wall of buildings blocked off any advance...they were completely surrounded. Dozens of soldiers focused their rifles on the two raptors, and as Tiberius prepared himself to fight to the death, Athena surrendered, all fight leaving her.

"Sister! What are you doing?"

"We failed..."

"Only if you surrender! You can still get out of here! I'll keep them distracted!"

"Then they'll kill you!"

"I know...but it'll get you out of here."

"I...I can't lose you, Brother."

Loud clapping interrupted them, and Tiberius' head snapped towards the source, baring his fangs and growling as the fat man shoved his way through the blockade, sarcastically clapping and walking towards them, "You _almost_ got away, I'm impressed."

"What do you want with us?" Tiberius growled, "We serve no purpose to you."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong. You see, that creepy little furry cares a lot about you, that makes you leverage. It brings him here, to my door, where I can pay him back for the horrible crap he put me through."

"He got away," an electric voice began, and Sonichu shoved his way through the infantry behind the raptors, "That damned girl of his teleported them out of here."

" _WHAT!?_ " Christian howled, "Ugh! You're so fucking worthless sometimes!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Sonichu asked, "It was your bright idea not to suppress his mutations! I _told_ you that cell wouldn't hold him!"

"Our cells held these stupid dinosaurs until that stupid kid's fireballs destroyed the walls!"

"These dinosaurs are weak, inexperienced. Alex Vaughn has nearly twenty years of military experience, twenty years for his mutations to grow in strength and power. You can't keep the Alpha Mutant trapped for any length of time without extreme precautions! It was _your_ fault!"

"What is this about Alpha Mutant?"

"That's what they call Alex Vaughn."

"Who is Alex Vaughn?"

Sonichu sighed, "Nevermind."

"Anyway, what to do about these stupid dinosaurs..." and Christian walked circles around them, examining the two raptors. Finally, he grinned, "Actually, I've got an _excellent_ idea...Sonichu, take them to my room."

"But..."

"No buts! I _command_ you to take these things to my room! Now!"

Silence for several moments, with Sonichu only glaring towards his 'father'.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get on it!"

With a sigh, the hedgehog complied, and even though Tiberius fought back against the soldiers overwhelming and holding them down, his resistance did little to help his case and only made the soldiers' restraint more painful. As the two raptors were muzzled and literally dragged down the street by their tails, tied and bound, unable to move, Tiberius heard the elemental creature ask, "What do you plan on doing to them?"

In a smug voice, the fat man replied, "Asserting my authority."

"Wake up!" Christian ordered harshly, slapping Tiberius across the face to rouse him, "I want you to be wide awake to watch what I'm about to do, you pathetic P.O.S."

Tiberius growled lowly, threateningly, but the fat man laughed, "You don't scare me, especially in _your_ current, sorry state!"

In one corner of the room, Tiberius could see the elemental leaning against the wall, arms crossed at his chest, silently observing. The fat man circled the raptor's sister, who was restrained in some sort of device that kept her forelimbs and head suspended in a block of wood. Her legs were chained tightly together, and she was whining unhappily.

"Sister..."

"Brother..." her voice replied, very small and timid.

Christian now walked around Athena, patting her gently, "Cute...these two lovebirds care about each other."

"They're siblings," Sonichu replied.

"Close enough."

The fat man gave Athena a hardy slap on the rear, tensing the raptor, while Tiberius, eyes widening as he realized what was happening, struggled and fought viciously against his restraints, "NO! Leave her alone!" he roared.

"Put a muzzle on him!" Christian hissed, and with eerie agility, Sonichu appeared beside Tiberius, wrestling to tie a cage-like muzzle around his mouth. Despite the raptor's resistance, the hedgehog succeeded in his task and returned to his position on the wall.

Regaining his composure, Christian smiled smugly and continued his patrol around the room, saying, "You two stupid dinos are gonna pay for what you did to my city...what you did to glorious _New Bethlehem_! Your crimes against _God's Company_ won't go unpunished!" then, nodding towards the elemental, "Muzzle her."

"Yes, father," Sonichu replies with a nod, even though his voice seemed unsure. Once Athena had been muzzled, the hedgehog returned to his post, although something about his composure was off, and Tiberius found himself very worried...just what was the fat man planning? Christian, now standing behind Athena, gave her another hearty slap on the rear, eliciting a gasp from her, before he forced her unbuttoned his pants and dropped them.

"No..." Tiberius tried, but found he was silenced by the muzzle.

The fat man violently forced Athena's tail upright, thrusting forward into her, and she screamed in pain and agony against his forceful penetration, writhing and trying to tear free. Sonichu only averted his eyes before he hurriedly walked out of the room, disappearing through the door and slamming it shut.

Tiberius could only watch helplessly as his sister was violated before his eyes, unable to speak, unable to fight, unable to even help...

The act finished fairly quickly, lasting no longer than a few minutes, but to the horrified Tiberius and traumatized Athena, it seemed to last for hours. Eventually, the fat man pulled away, wearing a smug grin and pulling his pants back up, walking back to where Tiberius stood and crouching before him. "You see what I did?" the fat man chuckled, glaring lustfully towards Athena, who's body had given up all resistance and just hanged limply in place, "I just fucked your sister...and _man_ was she tight!" with a chuckle, he righted himself, "A little dry though...well, at least before the blood started flowing..." and with a laugh, he walked towards the door, "Oh, and thanks for the sex, I'll see you tomorrow, sexy."

Once the fat man had left, Tiberius turned towards his sister, trying desperately to free himself to get to her, or at least to speak to her. When neither succeeded, he surrendered soon after, eyes widening with horror as the smell of blood reached his nostrils, tinted with a peculiar additive, almost as if some kind of intoxicating drug...

His sister had gone into her first heat.


	26. Chapter XXV: Reversal

_**Chapter XXV**_ **:**

 **-''Reversal''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _02 November 2016_ -**

 **- _1014 Hours_ -**

Alex and Akumi slipped into Hjerim, the Japanese girl commenting on how interesting it was to be in a country that was still lost in the Middle Ages. "Yeah, don't get too excited," the Commander replied, "These lands are untamed, equal rights don't exist, and...well...we're five hundred years in the past, that's five hundred years of civil rights that haven't appeared."

She shrugged, "I don't really care, to be completely honest, I always thought medieval stuff was cool."

They quietly made their way upstairs, knocking lightly on the bedroom door. After several moments of silence, the door opened and Zinnia threw her arms around Alex, embracing him tightly, "You made it back okay!" the young woman said.

"I'm safe," Alex chuckled, "I'm safe..."

They kissed each other then, and upon breaking off the contact, Alex continued further. "Alex!" Ruby exclaimed, scampering out of bed and running towards her human mate, hugging him tightly.

"I'm okay, Ruby..." he said, "I'm okay..."

"What happened to you guys?" Zinnia asked, "We found Jazz unconscious and you two were missing!"

Christian and Sonichu ambushed us, captured us and dragged us to their capital. We broke out, made our escape from the city and ended up back at her mom's house.

"Are you okay, Akumi?" Zinnia asked, but the girl was silenced by the different animals staring at her.

"Okay...this is kinda weird..."

"Meet Alpha Company," Alex said, "My unit...where's Cynder?"

"She went to the market with Azazel, they should be back soon," Jazz said, then, "Listen, I'm sorry for letting you get captured."

"He knocked you out, what could you have done?"

"I don't know, I just feel like there's _something_ I could have done."

"Hey..." Ruby began nervously, "If you were taken to their capital...did you find Tiberius and Athena?"

Alex cast the girl a nervous glance, and Akumi hanged her head in shame, "No," he replied, "We didn't. Akumi warped me out of there before I could find them."

"Warped? She's a mutant?" Zinnia asked.

"Honestly, I don't know...it's strange."

"I don't know what happened back there, to be honest..." Akumi sighed, "He was being attacked by that hedgehog thing, I ran in to help and then, all of a sudden, we were back at mom's house."

"Are you both okay?" Rocket asked.

"We're fine," Alex replied, "A little shaken up, but fine."

Ruby collapsed on the bed, attracting Alex's attention but he paid her no heed, only continued explaining what happened to Zinnia. Finally, the girl, taking notice of Ruby's melancholy, nodded towards the dolphin, "Why don't you talk to her...she's missed you."

With a sigh, Alex ended the conversation, walking over to the dolphin and taking a seat in his bed, placing a gentle hand on her back, "Are you okay?"

"I miss my kids..."

"We'll find them," he said, hugging her, "Don't worry, love...we'll find them."

"I missed you, Alex...when Zinnia told me what happened...I got so worried."

"Everything's fine, Ruby... _I'm_ fine."

"I just hope Tiberius and Athena are, too...I hate missing members of my family, and I can't stop thinking about what Christian is putting them through."

"They're tough, Ruby...you know that."

"I'm still scared for them."

"I know, I know...but they'll be all right, you'll see..."

While Alex took care of Ruby and the rest of Alpha Company went about on their normal routine, Akumi stood awkwardly beside Zinnia, "So...all these animals can talk and stuff?"

"Yep."

The girl nodded towards Alex and Ruby, "What's wrong with that dolphin?"

"She's missed her mate."

"Mate? You mean she and Alex are..."

Zinnia nodded, grinning shyly, "Yes, they are."

"Oh...well that must be awkward..." then, "Aren't you his girlfriend?"

"Yes, I am."

"And you're okay with that?"

She shrugged, "He and Ruby have been together for a long time...he and Cynder have been together for even _longer_ , we arranged a deal so that he can stay with them and he and I can still be together."

"You're one hell of a girlfriend, if I found out _my_ boyfriend was sexing animals, I'd leave him in an instant."

"Well...I understand his feelings towards them...once upon a time, I was in much of the same position."

"You sexed animals, too?"

Zinnia chuckled, "I was a different girl back then."

"You guys are gross."

"Sometimes things just...happen. Especially when you grew up in the same kind of environment that we did. We were both child soldiers, abused by our masters, from a very young age. He reached sexual maturity around Alpha Company...which are all these animals, so naturally he'd find himself attracted to them. I, on the other hand, had been sexually molested countless times by my masters and other soldiers, so when I found out my pet wolf was receptive to it, I used it to relax. I know it sounds bad but...it was a different time, I was a different person."

"So...what's sex with a dog like?"

"It was a wolf...and it was...eh...okay, I guess," then, "What about you? You have boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend? Pfft...boys are assholes, I have never found one I even remotely liked, besides, I'm kinda sorta...asexual I guess. What's the point in worrying about someone else when it's much easier just to take care of yourself, huh?" she chuckled, "And it's not like I really had time to get to know any boys...our dorms—and even our classes—were segregated between boys and girls. The only time I saw any boys was walking to class, or during lunch and supper, and all they did was snide and snark at me, because I don't put up with anyone's bullshit. Even the girls didn't like me that much."

"Well, you have friends here," Zinnia said, "Just so long as you treat us with respect, we'll treat _you_ with respect."

"So...if you're with Alex, why is he still with the dolphin?"

Zinnia fell silent for a few moments, thinking, "I think he's ready to start a family, something which he can't do with a dolphin or a dragon."

"Dragon?"

"Cynder's a dragon, she one of his mates."

"Guy really gets around, huh?"

"As far as I'm concerned, he's only with Ruby and Cynder, but even if he is...there's nothing really wrong with that. He's entitled, he's worked hard his entire life, I think he deserves some special privileges.

"Man, you really are the best girlfriend ever...and you don't ask for anything in return?"

Zinnia fell silent, trying to debate whether or not to admit her particular request in exchange for allowing Alex to remain with his mates. Deciding against it, she said, "No, he's done enough for me already."

"Wish I could find someone like that."

"Hang around, you might get lucky. Seems there's someone here for everybody."

"Alex!" Cynder exclaimed, running into the room and pouncing upon her human mate, knocking them both to the ground, "You're safe!" she continued happily, covering him in kisses.

"I'm fine, Cyn," he chuckled, "I'm fine...it's all good."

Regaining control of herself, the dragoness noticed Akumi, and instantly, nervously, scampered onto her feet, "Oh...uh...hi. You must be Miss Akumi Satō?"

"Yes," Akumi replied, "You must be Cynder then? Alex's third girlfriend?"

The she-dragon blushed, "Well, um...I wouldn't necessarily say _that_..." then, "I'm sorry to hear about your mom."

Akumi fell silent, "It's okay..."

"If you ever need anything, feel free to ask me, okay?"

"I will, and thanks."

" _You will pay for your sins against the Archreaper!"_

 _This voice clears lifts Alex from the void he finds himself in, and in the blink of an eye, he's standing in the colony within which the Archreaper's Legion—from whom he still needs to claim_ Bloodreaver— _resides. At first, he thinks the maddened citizens are talking about him, but it doesn't take too long before he realizes that they're talking to someone standing behind him, and as he turns around, he's startled to see Ember, bound and beaten, tied to a crucifix. She's badly bruised, bloody, and showing the worse for wear, but yet she seems to have resigned to her fate, and merely has her head bowed in prayer, eyes closed, a single tear trickling down her face. She's clad in well-worn, severely dented, golden armor, and he can just make out her lips moving soundlessly._

" _Because of you, the Beams are breaking! You have deceived us all! You're no prophet! You are a liar, sent by the serpent to trick us all, and you almost succeeded!"_

" _Ember!" Alex exclaims, "Ember what's wrong? Why are they hurting you?"_

 _But she doesn't seem to hear him, infact,_ nobody _here seems to acknowledge his presence, despite how real and vivid the world feels...was this another vision?_

 _Quietly, in a defeated, pained voice, he can hear her say, "Forgive me, Messorem...I have failed you."_

" _Ember..." Alex pleads, collapsing beside her, "Please answer me. Can you hear me?"_

" _I failed you all..." she says, voice cracking, and she's now fully crying now, still in silence, having accepted her fate._

" _No...no, no, no...you haven't failed anyone! God damn it, let me help you!"_

" _I deserve this..."_

" _No you don't!" Alex exclaims, "_ Nobody _deserves..." he extended his arms, "This! Nobody deserves to be treated like this! Why won't you let me help you?"_

 _He is forced to watch as one of the cultists lower a torch to a pile of kindling at the bottom of the cross, setting it in flames. In horror, the Commander can only watch as the flames slowly crawl up the wooden shaft. Again, he tried to plead with the girl, "Ember...let me help you, please!"_

" _May the Archreaper show mercy on this blasphemous traitor!" the cult leader exclaims, holding the broken sword hilt up to the sky before swiftly slashing it across Ember's torso, disemboweling her. Still, the dragoness remains alive, and the cult slashes downward across her sternum, effectively carving a cross into her belly. By now, the ropes of her intestines are bulging out from the wound, the lips only growing farther and farther apart, and Ember cries in pain and agony, "And may Heaven above accept our sacrifice and save this damned world!"_

 _At this statement, her intestines finally spill out of her body into the fire, and she,_ still alive _, cries out in pain even further, crying uncontrollably while the flames flare and burn around her, peeling her scales, charring her flesh black until that terrified light in her icy eyes fades away._

" _NO!" Alex howls, "No! No!_ NO! _This isn't real!"_

 _Finally, the sacrifice completed, the vision fades and melts away, and..._

...the Commander awoke in a cold sweat, struggling to breathe and on the verge of panic. His head snapped around as he tried to piece together where he was, before he sighed in relief at the realization that he was in bed, with Cynder sleeping to his left and Ruby to his right, their bodies warm and soft against his own. He quickly and cautiously climbed out of bed, opening his dresser with trembling hands to remove his pack of cigarettes before hurrying outside the room and outside into the empty city, sticking one hand-rolled cigarette in the corner of his mouth and lighting it. His heart sank, truly the nightmare wasn't just a simple dream...it was a vision. His only hope was that he could get to Ember, that he could save her life, before she fell.

Wanting to try something, he slid down the stone fence, clasping his hands together in prayer and clearing his head. He expanded his mind throughout the world, searching for Ember's mental presence. Finally, he identified what he assumed was her, she seemed to be in Alagaesia at the time, and he focused on her, isolating her presence and connecting his mind to hers. _Ember..._ he thought to her sleeping mind, _Something very bad will happen to you...please let me save you. Let me protect you as a friend, please, I beg of you. Let me save your life._

Deep in the Alagaesian wilderness, Ember's icy eyes snapped open, and she sat up, blinking around in silence. Her campfire was running low, and she stocked it full of fuel, sitting in front of it to warm herself and banish the bitter winter chill. For some, inexplicable reason, her thoughts turned to Alex, and she couldn't shake the thought that he was worried about her. The dragoness frowned, shrugging off his friendship was hard, but their destinies were not aligned...as much as she wanted to, and truly, that's what she wanted, to join his family, she knew that she could do no such thing. She had a mission, a purpose, even if she didn't quite know what this purpose was, and until it was fulfilled, there was no way she could accept his offer of friendship. She only hoped he could understand.

Her paw instinctively went to a small, red crystal hanging from a chain around her neck, a gift given to her by her mother, shortly before she departed from town on that fateful day, returning to find the village in ruins, its occupants turned into mindless, animated corpses what were more machine than organic. Even now, the trumpeting of those damned machines echoed in her ears, haunting every waking moment, and still the nightmares of the machines' destruction of her village haunted her sleep.

"Alex..." she sighed, something about the human stirred her thoughts. She was attracted to him, not romantically or sexually, but attracted to him as if he was family, a long-lost brother perhaps. What puzzled her was this: if their destines _weren't_ intertwined, then why did they keep crossing paths, and why was some cryptic message in his voice sliding through her mind.

 _Ember..._ his voice spoke again, echoing through her mind, and she was aware that she could sense his presence hanging nearby, _Can you hear me?_

She considered ignoring him, wanting the both of them to move on, but eventually, overwhelmed with loneliness as she too-often was these days, she smiled sadly, deciding to answer the telepathic call, _I'm here._

 _You're in grave danger..._ he responded, _I had a vision, this cult, the Archreaper's Legion, they were sacrificing you...they said you had betrayed Messorem._

The mention of the Archreaper's Legion sent chills down her spine...how did he know about them? That crystal hanging around her neck began grow hot against her neck, almost to the point of burning, and she tried to take it off, at first believing that it was absorbing the heat from the roaring fire. Much to her shock and surprise, however, the chain—even at the links closest to the crystal—were cold as ice, only the crystal burned with a fierce heat, one that scalded her paws to the touch. She tore the crystal off her neck, throwing it aside, shocked to find that it was glowing a deep red, not glowing like a piece of glass reflecting the light of the fire, but _literally_ glowing.

 _Please, Ember...let me save you. Join us,_ the Commander continued to plead.

 _If only you knew how much I wish I could,_ she responded, _But I can't, it isn't my destiny._

 _To_ hell _with destiny!_ he spat, _You_ belong _here! You_ are Old Regime _!_

 _Impossible..._ she replied _, the_ Old Regime _died long ago._

 _You are, though! You are the reincarnation of Ophelia, the creator of the_ Libro Morturom _used to imprison the immortal Deitus, it was from_ your _sacred blood that_ Bloodreaver _was forged._

Again, this information startled the dragon girl...she had long felt a certain connection to the tales of _Bloodreaver_ , Messorem's legendary blade, the Achilles heel for mortals where its companion, _Soulreaper_ , was the bane of beings of a spiritual or supernatural nature, including ghosts, demons, and even angels. Her eyes returned to the discarded crystal, rumored to be a chipped fragment of _Bloodreaver_ 's blade, known to be the color of freshly-spilled blood. She gently cradled the burning crystal, placing it against her heart and against her chest, ignoring as it burned and scalded the surface of her scale and flesh. _How do you know these things?_

 _Because_ I _am Messorem_ , Alex responded, _Or at least, one half of him. The Archdemon Necrodusk embodies the second half of the fallen archangel. Please, Ember...come home. You don't have to be alone._

 _I can't join you_ , Ember lamented, _But I do have one request to make of you._

 _Anything._

 _Please, never leave me. We will meet again if destiny wills it, but stay here with me in spirit and mind...I will tell you my deepest fears and concerns. It is lonely and cold out here, stay with me in spirit, and I will stay with you, that is the only thing I can promise._

 _Will you stay in contact with me?_

 _If you will keep your mind open and receptive to me, I will speak to you whenever I can._

 _Then I'm here for you._

 _That is all I can ask, and my promise to be here for you is the only one I can make._

 _Will I ever see you again?_

 _Perhaps one day...I will keep it in my prayers that our paths may cross again._

 _And your safety and protection from harm will remain in my prayers._

 _Thank you kindly, truly, from the bottom of my heart. Take care, Alex._

 _You, too, Ember._

And with that, Alex terminated the conversation. He was vaguely aware of Ember's presence lingering at the back of his mind as it took on the neutral gray of sleep, affirming, at least, that she would maintain a telepathic connection with him, even if she couldn't physically join them. As he burned through two more cigarettes, he cautiously explored her sleeping mind, find that her emotions were a tangled web of unending regret, guilt, and an overwhelming loneliness, the likes of which he had never seen before except when he first met Ruby in the present day. She fostered a tormented soul, although one that didn't necessarily illustrate any abuse or mistreatment. In fact, she seemed to have a very pleasant history, only to have everything taken away from her in the blink of an eye. She was a girl who's everlasting torment had made her stronger, but also weaker, and tired. He truly pitied her, her darkest memories—the cause of her torment—were sealed away, out of reach of even _his_ experienced prying, and all he longed to do was to ease her suffering, to release her burden. She was lonely, she had lost _everything_ , and the only thing keeping her going was her self-assigned mission, the details of which he couldn't access either.

With a sigh, Alex finally returned inside, sneaking upstairs and into his room where, after quietly closing and locking the door behind him, he turned to see Zinnia observing him, sitting in front of the fire. He took a seat beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Nightmare..." he replied, "I'm worried for Ember."

"Who?"

"This dragon girl that we've run into a few times. I had a vision that she was being sacrificed...I'm scared for her."

"I'm sure it was just a dream."

"No, it was a vision..." he frowned, "It was too vivid...too realistic not to be."

"I'm sorry."

"What for? You did nothing wrong?"

"For everything you're going through."

"Oh..." he sighed, "It's not like it's your fault or anything. Hell, you and Ruby and Cyn are the only ones keeping me sane right now."

Silence for several minutes before Zinnia said, "So, Akumi told me about what happened...sounds like she's starting to grow on you."

"Our mission is to protect her, I was just ensuring my mission's success."

"You seem to be growing on her, too. She was really impressed by how you handled...what are they called again?"

" _God's Company_ is apparently what they're calling themselves...and Christian calls his capital 'New Bethlehem'. Seems his religious zealotry just about meets that of Piermont...I'm sure he and Pierre would be fast friends."

"Well, regardless, you impressed her."

"Been talking to her, huh?"

"I like her, she's got spunk. Plus, I think she's cute."

Alex chuckled, "Don't you think she's a little young? I mean, she's like, fifteen and you're twenty-five."

Zinnia grinned a toothy, mischievous grin, one he hadn't seen since they had dealt with each other in the Regions all those years ago, "Well, the age of consent in Japan _is_ like thirteen, and the age of consent in France is fifteen, so make of that what you will. But in all honesty, I like her personality, I admire her youth, it reminds me of myself a long time ago."

"Before or after our encounter in the Regions?"

Zinnia smiled, "During. I started changing after what we did, and after you left...that's when I started changing how I thought about life. I guess the night I spent with you is what really told me to start growing up and acting my age. I cleaned myself up, worked on being more 'ladylike'...I guess I kinda blamed my lack of giving a shit for why you left me..."

Alex interrupted her with a kiss, "You left me..."

She frowned, "And even to this day, I regret it."

He threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and hugging her, "Yet we're together again now."

They both fell silent than, holding each other and staring into the flames, "I love you, Alex," Zinnia said.

"I love you, too," he replied, and with a final kiss, he stood heading towards his bed.

"Wait..." Zinnia began, and he turned to face her.

"Why don't you stay with me tonight?"

Without another sound, he returned to her side, following her into her private corner of the room. Stripping down into her bra and panties, she climbed into bed, getting beneath the covers, and Alex undressed down to his boxers and undershirt, climbing in beside her. She wrapped herself around him, planting her head on his chest, and he stroked her black hair as she drifted off, Alex, himself, falling asleep soon after, this time free of the nightmare that had tormented him earlier, and aware of Ember's comforting, sleeping presence, even while he slept. Some of her dreams even bled into his, images of the dragon girl happily joining Alex's growing family, relishing to be by his side.

The Commander was the last one to awaken, and upon opening his eyes, he was greeted by the various conversations occurring within his unit out in the common area. With a grunt, he climbed out of bed, slipping through the curtains and taking a seat on the floor beside Zinnia.

"Morning," Jazz said, "Zinnia keep you up all night?"

"Nah," he chuckled, "Other things."

"Well, Terrias was looking for you earlier."

"Shit..." Alex breathed, "I forgot...how is he doing?"

"He's fine," the rabbit replied, "He's been staying at the palace...Ulfric's been taking care of him."

"I should go see him," the Commander stood, quickly dressing himself.

"You should," Jazz continued, "Get ready to kiss his ass, too, he seemed a bit unhappy that you didn't visit him after you came back."

"In my defense, I had a lot of shit on my mind at the time."

"You don't have to explain to me, just get ready to explain it to Terrias," the rabbit chuckled, "You know how he can get sometimes. Once you're done there, come back here...Sam made contact with us earlier, says it's important."

In the palace, Alex approached Ulfric, sitting upon his throne, conversing with his servant. "Jarl Ulfric," the Commander began, "How's my friend?"

"He's upstairs," the Jarl replied, "Go on ahead up there."

Upon passing through the stairwell and reaching the second floor, the Commander followed the sound of Terrias' voice echoing through the corridors until he finally found his friend, bedridden, in a small bedroom adjacent to the court mage's chambers. "Terrias..." the Commander began, standing in the doorway.

"Alex..." the servine chuckled, "And here I was, thinking you forgot about me, what the hell, man?"

"Sorry...a lot of shit happened after I got back...it kinda slipped my mind."

"You owe me."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll give you a tug later, or a blow, whichever you prefer."

The servine smiled, "I'm glad to see you're safe Alex, what happened?"

"It's not important," and the Commander took a seat beside his friend, "How are you doing?"

"Hurts like a bitch, but I'm alive, and I'll be fine. Sage Wuunferth here has been taking care of me."

"Any idea when you'll be able to come back?"

"Soon, hopefully..." he chuckled nervously, "I...uh...guess I apologize for the delay..." and in a quieter voice, "I promised I would let you mate me, and I've been biding my time, so I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it...your health is more important to me than that kinda shit...I'm just glad you're okay."

Terrias raised his head until he could reach Alex, and wrapping his arms around the Commander's head, he kissed his friend's mouth.

"What was that for?"

Terrias shrugged, "Why not?" and Alex updated his friend on what had recently gone down before reluctantly leaving and departing back to Hjerim, curious to see what Sam had found.

"So what do we have going on?" Alex asked.

"Sam's found something he wants to show us...he says it's important," Cynder sighed, then, "Is Terrias in a state to go anywhere?"

"He's still pretty banged up...why?"

"Because,"" Jazz interrupted, "This is something you both will want to see."

Terrias leaned against Aria on the opposite side of the lounge of the _Titan_ , across from Alex, his son sleeping against him, curled into a ball. Alex's allies were soaring through the skies over the Atlantic Ocean, _en route_ to the United States, and as much as the Commander try to pry what Sam had called them for, nobody answered him. Eventually, disheartened, he leaned back in his seat, putting on a pair of headphones, turning on his music player, and closing his eyes, trying to nap. A soft but firm, warm, smooth mass pressed itself against him, and he opened his eyes to see Ruby curled against him. Before too long, Cynder joined on his other side, leaning against her human mate, their bodies warming him against the bitterly cold room. Zinnia and Akumi were chatting nearby, and the French girl only smiled towards her boyfriend before returning to her conversation.

Ashamed, he wriggled free of his two mates, walking over to and sitting beside Zinnia, resting his head on her shoulder. Cynder looked away in quiet understanding, Ruby, on the other hand, seemed offended, but otherwise said nothing and only curled up into a small ball by herself. At the back of the lounge, away form everyone else, Kira observed this in silence, crossing her avian arms at her human chest, but saying nothing in response.

I don't understand..." Ruby began once she and Cynder were the only ones awake, "What did I do wrong now? Why does he hate me _now_?"

"I don't think he hates you," Cynder reassured, "He will never _stop_ loving you...you just need to understand that, instinctively, humans want to find partners who are capable of bearing them children."

"But...I'm pregnant with his son!"

" _Now_ , but once your son is born, what are you going to do? This has nothing to do with anything you've done."

"No, it's just because I'm a stupid fucking fish..." Ruby sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Ruby, he still loves you. Does he _really_ need to act romantic all the time to prove it?"

"If only he knew..."

"Knew what?" and casting the dragon an embarrassed glance, Ruby whispered something in her ear before pulling away, blushing.

"You're shitting me..." Cynder frowned.

Ruby shook her head, "No."

"You need to tell him before he ties the knot with Zinnia."

"It's supposed to be a surprise..."

"Yeah, but if you don't tell him and he weds Zinnia before he finds out...you'll not only lose the perfect opportunity to be with him, but you'll lose him as a lover, I'm almost sure. Once he and Zinnia marry, we will be downgraded to backup."

"You don't think it'll get that bad, do you?"

"I don't _think_ , I _know_. I know this isn't what you want to hear, and I feel like an ass for saying this, but you need to know and understand the truth. Lying to keep you in good spirits and then he does what I knew he was going to do the whole time will only make the situation worse for you."

"But...why?"

"Because losing Sarah gave him one hell of a wake-up call. It made him realize that he couldn't get away with juggling multiple partners without his relationships falling apart around him. Once he affirms his love for Zinnia, he will focus on her out of fear of losing another woman he cares deeply about, that's just the way he is."

"But...he cares about _us_ right? He loves _us_ , too!"

"He does, but it's a little bit different when you're talking about human relationships. Dolphins and Realm Dragons are known to be fairly promiscuous. Dolphins fuck anything and everything they can, Realm Dragons—or at least Realm Dragon males—tend to keep large harems of many females which they alternate between. Humans are generally monogamous, and once two partners get into a committed relationship, they _stay_ committed to each other and each other alone. Ruby, he's not a dolphin, he's a human...not only are we incompatible for children—your son notwithstanding—but our relationship with him is frowned upon by society, and despite what he says, he _does_ care about his public image to some degree. He's trying to repair things with his biological family especially, if anything to tie loose ends, but to do that, he needs to find a human woman that he loves...his mother won't settle for you and me."

"It's not fair!"

"No, it's not...but that's the way life works..." Cynder smiled sadly, "Hey, just be happy that he's still willing to openly admit to loving you, that's a lot to ask and you—we—should be grateful for that at least."

"I don't want these spoken admissions _claiming_ that he loves me! I want him to _prove_ it, to say it in actions, not just in words. I want my _mate_."

"Then tell him the truth."

"But I...I can't. Now I'm afraid it'll destroy his friendship with Zinnia...a-and I don't want to do that to them...but at the same time I want him back."

"Ruby, the sooner you tell him, the easier it'll be for him and Zinnia to end on a high note. If you want him to be yours, to _continue_ to be yours...he needs to know. The longer you wait, the more chances you squander. Unless you want to lose him forever, you need to tell him."

"But I...I can't..."

Cynder sighed, "Then I hope that he finds out soon."

Ruby frowned, sighing with a slight, mournful whistle, "I fucked up, didn't I? I was stupid and selfish and I...I messed up."

"You didn't mess up, Ruby...you love him and you wanted to prove it. All I can say is that I hope you give birth before he gets married...but given how quickly his relationship with her seems to be advancing, you're running out of time."

"What should I do? I'm scared and lost..."

"I've already _told_ you what you should do."

Ruby whined unhappily.

"Listen...what you decide to do is up to you. But if you want my honest opinion, tell him before it's too late...he loves you, more than you will ever understand, don't let him get away just because you're shy and embarrassed to share you concerns," and without another word, Cynder curled up across from the dolphin, falling asleep. Ruby lay awake, staring unhappily towards her human mate, currently serving as a pillow for Zinnia, both sleeping deeply.

 _I don't know what to do...should I tell him?_ and she subconsciously rubbed her distended, pregnant belly.

The _Titan_ landed in the wilderness just outside of the university campus where Sam resided, its occupants spilling out into the surprisingly pleasant, sunny, warm day. "So..." Alex began, "Again...what's Sam found that nobody will tell me what's going on?"

"Here I was thinking I was the only one being kept in the dark," Terrias replied.

"Seriously, what gives, guys?"

However, no one answer them, and they continued walking down the mountainside behind the campus. Confused, Alex cast a glance back up the mountain, "Um...the campus is _that_ way."

"We know," Jazz replied.

"So where are we going?"

"To meet Sam," Rocket replied.

"Well, no shit...but why won't you guys tell us what's going on?"

"You'll see," Cynder replied.

Finally, after an hour of walking, they finally reached the ruins of a small village, long-burned out, at the base of the mountain. "What the fuck...?" Alex asked, "What did this?"

Terrias patrolled through the ruins, pausing in place at one peculiar spot and crouching low to the ground, digging out a piece of black, vinyl fabric. His heart sank, and he called Alex over to him, "Does this place ring any bells?"

"No..." the Commander replied, approaching him, "Should it?"

Wearing a grave expression, the servine passed the torn piece of fabric to Alex, who fingered it, at first confused until it slowly dawned on him. Something like electricity surged through his body and he collapsed to the ground, cradling his head as forgotten memories flooded his mind, cast in a feverish, delirious light...

" _The Harvest must be completed.._. _Ares, Thanatos, I am tasking you with whatever organic settlements you fancy..._ "

Screams of pain and cries for mercy flooded his mind, feverish images of brutal murders flashed before his eyes, and two particular images remained frozen at the front of his mind: a helmet resembling the head of a falcon, and another that adopted a stylistic approach to that of a lion's head. His eyes snapped open, his blood ran cold, and Alex cautiously stood upright, shaking his head in disbelief. Terrias seemed equally shaken, "This...we..." he began, unable to form sentences, "The Reapers..." he turned towards his companions, and Sam's distinct voice spoke from behind him, "This town was ransacked by Reaper generals Ares and Thanatos two years ago."

"I know...I remember now..." Alex replied grimly, turning again to face the Irishman.

"After that, it was left abandoned and empty...a hallowed monument to those lost beneath the brutal, genocidal reign of the Reaper Armada, and it was respectfully left alone and vacant...until recently."

"Somebody made off with the Reaper..." Terrias frowned, "How the hell...?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"Remember? Terminator forces cut down one of our Reapers here," Terrias pointed to a peculiarly large, flat plot of land just outside of the town, "It landed over there."

"Right! But how!?"

"I think the better question is _who_ , and _why_..." the servine replied coldly, "We've seen what someone who is technologically savvy is capable of when they get their hands on Reaper tech...look what Rocket did with the _Titan_."

"You don't think _Filios Diaboli_ jacked the Reaper do you?"

"I don't know, all I know is that I hope to _Christ_ they didn't."

The skies darkened as clouds rapidly moved in to block the sun. Distant thunder rumbled, and Alex's allies explore the wreckage of the town, turning up little clues to the thieves' identity. When a light rain began to fall, Terrias sighed, "I don't think we're going to find anything, let's head back to the university and ask around...maybe we'll get lucky. Who did the town's upkeep?"

"University maintenance staff," Sam replied, "They're the ones who told me someone had messed with the town."

"Maybe they know something we don't, I suggest we ask them."

"Good idea," Cynder replied.

"Let's head on back then," Alex replied, "You're on point, Terrias."

"Rog."

By the time they returned to the campus, the skies had opened up completely and the downpour was coming down so hard and fast that visibility was reduced to almost nothing. The wind blew powerfully through the trees, knocking leaves and branches around, and Cynder nervously anticipated a tornado to touch down. Streak lightning cut through the sky, accompanied by ear-splitting thunder, and water flowed like a river down the street. Soaking wet, the unit slipped into the University Center, finding a large number of students gathered around, staring in silence towards the television. Alex and party got into a position where they could see the television and they watched the news report. The mountain rivers were overflowing under the heavy rain, the mountain upon which the university sat were surrounded in a moat now due to the heavy floodwaters, and no one was going to be able to get down from the peak.

"Well ain't this wonderful...good thing we flew here," Rocket snorted.

"...Hopefully it'll put out that fire down the mountain..." Alex overheard someone saying, "Fire's unnatural, some are even saying they're _super_ natural. That there's these shadowy beings keeping it going. Those are the rumors I've heard anyway."

"Pardon?" the Commander asked, turning to face the cashier at one of the food kiosks scattering the open room, "What fires?"

"Where've you been, son?" the short, stocky woman replied in a faint Southern drawl with a chuckle. She had a potmarked, beet-red face and very short, back hair.

"We just got up here late last night, came in the back way through the old village."

"Well, there's been a wildfire going on down mountain a ways, down the west side. Been going on for a couple of days now, large chunks of forest are already gone. Hoping this storm will wipe it out."

"What was this about shadowy figures?"

"Well, some people been sayin' that they've seen these smoky skeletons wanderin' around. Either someone had too much to drink or too much to smoke."

"Mind if we check it out?"

"What are you hoping to find?"

"Curious. I have a...strange fascination with these kinda spooky stories."

"Well, good luck getting' down the mountain, this storms continues it'll swallow Sylva a few miles to the west."

"Thanks..." and Alex turned to face his companions, "Sounds like _Filios Diaboli_ are around."

"Well that's friggin' glorious," Rocket scowled, "We ain't gonna catch a break are we?"

Leaving Akumi back with Sam to keep her safe, Alex and party made their way through the downpour to the west side of campus. Smoke lingered in the air in the surrounding mountains, and as they began their cautious trek down the mountain roads, the smell of charred wood reached their nostrils. "Well, I can't see it," Jazz said, "But I can smell it."

"Any idea why _Filios Diaboli_ would bother poking around down here to _begin_ with?" Cynder asked.

"Likely looking for Akumi...or our lead," Alex replied.

"You sure it was a good idea to leave her alone with Sam, then?"

"She'll be fine."

"Famous last words."

"Shut up."

"Shit..." Jazz said, nodding forward, "Think we found what we were looking for."

Up ahead, a quarter of a mile down the road, bright orange flames peaked through the skeletal tree line greedily engulfing the forest around, seemingly unaffected by the storm. "Ain't she a beast..." Eli grunted.

The hairs on the back of Alex's neck stood upright, and he smirked, "Well, _Filios Diaboli is_ here."

"How can you tell?" Eli asked.

"I can sense them."

Upon finally reaching the burning forest, they were overwhelmed by the suffocating air. Before they even had a chance to adjust to the sudden change in atmosphere, an all-too-familiar horn trumpeted through the air, sinking the hearts of everyone present who had been around for the past two years.

"There's our missing Reaper..." Terrias frowned, and they all looked ahead to see a ship hovering in the air above the burning forest, firing its plasma cannon aimlessly into the forest. Alpha could tell from the ship's alien design that it was made from Reaper tech, even if not an active Reaper itself. "I don't think it's Vergil's, though," the servine continued, and he pointed to where two Hunters attacked the hovering ship, only to be hacked to pieces by several _God's Company_ spearmen that crawled out of seemingly nowhere.

At the top of the burning hill, Alex bore his teeth in a snarl as he saw Sonichu standing atop a rock jutting from the hillside, commanding units against Shadow-Knights, Hunters, and transformed Sluggers, who continued their approach towards the hedgehog.

"Why do we always find these two fuckers together?" Jazz snarled.

"Because Christian is actively hunting them down, too," Alex replied.

"How the fuck does he find them and why?"

"I think he said something about using _telepaths_ to track them, as for why he's killing them...I assume the same reason as us."

"They haven't found us," Terrias said, "Maybe it's best that we pull out before we're discovered."

"No," Alex replied with a snarl, "I have a score to settle with that fucker..." and he stormed into the forest, sneaking past the clashing fronts, making his way to where Sonichu was perched.

"No! Don't get involved Alex!" Terrias exclaimed, before swearing with a sigh, "One of these days, he's gonna get us all killed."

"Sonichu!" Alex roared upon reaching the top of the hill. The hedgehog stiffened, viciously turning to face his challenger, "I figured you were hiding around here somewhere, this area reeks of your putrid scent."

With a battle cry, Alex charged forward, swords drawn, running to clash with the hedgehog. With lightning-fast reflexes, the elemental evaded the attack, circling around the Commander and shoving him forward before zipping around back to his front and knocking him onto the burning ground. Summoning a spear made out of electricity from thin air, Sonichu lunged towards Alex, who rolled out of the way of the attack, landing on his feet again in a vertical slash with his sword, an attack that connected and knocked the hedgehog to the ground. Twirling his blade, Alex advanced to cleave the hedgehog's head from his shoulders, but Lightning vanished in an explosion of electricity, reappearing in the sky above the Commander and raining a volley of lightning bolts down upon Alex. Several members of _God's Company_ arrived to help their commander, but Sonichu waved them off, "No! He's mine!"

"Come down here you cowardly piece of shit!" Alex roared.

"With pleasure," the hedgehog replied, zipping rapidly towards the ground before impacting, sending an explosion of electricity outward around him, spreading through the mud that Alex stood in and electrifying him. Sonichu took advantage of Alex's temporary paralysis to run towards the Commander and kick him squarely in the chest, sending him falling off the jutting rock, down thirty feet onto the hill, before Alex rolled the rest of the way down, coming to a stop in the middle of the largest front between _Filios Diaboli_ and _God's Company_. Sonichu merely grinned towards the downed Commander before rotating on his heels, summoning a whip of electricity from his palm and slicing away at the ground behind him. With a loud _crack_ , the boulder snapped at its base and began to slide down the mountain, taking with it several charred trees and other debris, leaving a muddy scar across the land. Alex didn't see the boulder quickly approaching him, too busy evading and trading blows with the two rival factions, who had temporarily put aside their differences to focus their attention on the lone Commander. Just as Alex managed to clear the area around him, allowing him a brief moment of respite, he turned to see the boulder tumbling towards him, and he quickly made a move to dodge. A tree, uprooted by the storm and the boulder, fell down, landing atop him and knocking him into the ground. He tried to squirm free from the restraining object, but his senses were becoming muddled from being in the brunt of the wildfire, and he found his body becoming numb, his vision dimming, and increasing difficulty in breathing.

Realizing there was no way of escape, he hit the ground, diving into a bed of soggy leaves and trying to roll beneath a small outcropping, just large enough to lay beneath. As he had predicted, the boulder crashed into the outcropping but went no further, trapping him in some very confined and claustrophobic corners, but sparing him from any major damage. His various wounds from the plummet and his roll downhill finished healing and he punched at the boulder, hoping that his weak and relatively inexperienced terrakinesis could shatter it. Finally, he managed to clear out a small opening through the boulder that was just large enough to crawl through, and upon finally emerging on the other side, he was abruptly yanked by the collar, lifted off the ground, and cast aside into the trunk of a tree. The two newly-regenerated Hunters he had seen deal with the re-purposed Reaper ship earlier now approached him the ship itself now a smoldering pile of twisted steel, burning with a strange, purple flame nearby. Alex fought against the two Hunters, but found himself incapacitated when he was impaled through the stomach by one of their arms, and he watched, disgusted as his blood—saturating their limbs—was sucked and absorbed into their skin, giving them noticeably more muscle. He continued struggling, but was impaled yet again, this time by the _second_ Hunter, who similarly absorbed his spilled blood.

Rendered unable to heal by the Hunters, bleeding out at a rapid pace, Alex became progressively weaker, still struggling against his two foes, who only grew stronger as they absorbed more and more of his blood and body mass. Just as his vision began to fade, an orb of electricity appeared in the air behind them, and Ember, clad in golden armor, emerged from within cleaving them both in half, vertically, with her _Flamberge_.

"Ember?" Alex asked.

"You need help?"

"How did you..."

"We're connected, remember?" she smiled mischievously towards him, slicing the two reforming Hunters in half, horizontally this time, "Let's get you out of here..." and she lifted him over her shoulder, leaping high into the air, over the advancing _God's Company_ forces, and onto the outskirts of the wildfire, making a run back towards the road. Another sphere of lightning appeared before them, and Sonichu emerged from within, firing a continuous beam of electricity towards them. Ember rolled out of the way of this, lunging forward towards the hedgehog, who vanished out of harm's way in another flash of electricity, reemerging above and behind them, an aura of electricity surrounding him as he prepared to drill towards them. He launched himself towards them, and in a single, fluid motion, Ember turned to face him, _parrying_ his attack with her sword and knocking him effortlessly into the mud. With a groan, he picked himself up, raising an arm to the sky, just as a streak of lightning fired from above, striking his extended arm and surrounding him in an aura of electricity. With buffed speed, he zipped towards them, but Ember merely deflected his charge with another flawless parry, this time thrusting her flame-enchanted blade through his shoulder before tearing it free, severing his arm in the process. Instead of blood, liquid electricity oozed from the wound, and Alex watched in horror as the limb slowly regenerated.

"Hold on tight!" Ember exclaimed, and she surrounded herself in a veil of electricity before the two escaped into slipstream in a flash of light. " _Stay with me_ ," Ember's blurred voice said to him, and as they lurched through slipstream space, Alex felt himself becoming increasingly lightheaded before his consciousness winked out completely.


	27. Chapter XXVI: Meltdown

_**Chapter XXVI**_ **:**

 **-''Meltdown''-**

 **-Snow Veil Sanctum, Skyrim-**

 **- _14 October 2016_ -**

 **- _0017 Hours_ -**

Deep in the Nordic dungeon of Snow Veil Sanctum, Thieves Guild commander Mercer Fray and Omniversal Alex approached one of the Nords' infamous puzzle doors. Alex cast a quick glance back while Mercer Fray observed the slimy, moldy walls in the light of a torch. Faythe followed behind them, nodding towards her cousin and lover before hiding in a corner of the room, shimmering into invisibility. Everything was ready, the trap was set, now it was just a matter of springing it on the unsuspecting Thieves Guild leader.

Mercer's attention focused on the door, he said, "Ah, it's one of the infamous Nordic puzzle doors. How quaint."

Faythe

Unknown to him, Alex—standing behind the inattentive traitor—mocked and mimicked him.

The oblivious Mercer continued, "They're supposedly impossible to open without the claw that goes with them. Knowing Karliah, she already got rid of it; however, these doors have a weakness that's simple enough to exploit…" and he dug around his pockets for the Skeleton Key, stolen from the Nightingale Hall.

Rolling his eyes, Alex pulled the oddly-shaped lockpick from his own pocket, dangling it before the Thieves Guild leader, "Looking for this, Mercer?"

The leader abruptly turned around, "What? How did you..."

"Oh, it's quite simple, really." Alex interrupted, "You're a shitty thief. You can't even tell when something's been taken from you? God damn..." and he slowly backed away, wearing a sly, proud grin, "Now, I know you really wanted to kill me, that this whole setup is a trap to kill me and blame me for your theft of the vault and the key, but that's just not gonna happen."

Drawing his dual-wielded swords, Mercer Fray adopted an offensive stance, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really," Faythe responded, shimmering out of invisibility behind the Thieves Guild leader, grabbing him by the chest and planting her dagger firmly against the man's throat, drawing a thin red line. He managed to slither free, turning around to attack her, but it was too late, and in a swift, fluid motion, she lunged forward, thrusting the dagger deep into his stomach and unzipping him, spilling his intestines onto the floor before their feet. He groped at the ropes of his entrails, looking towards Faythe with a glance of shock and awe, before falling to the ground, and Faythe straddled him, stabbing him repeatedly.

Once her murderous rage had subsided and Faythe backed away from the body, out of breath, Alex examined her handiwork, "See, now why isn't there an option to do this in the actual game?"

"Wouldn't be much of a questline if you could, now would it?" Faythe responded.

"Implying that the quests after this were actually any good..."

"I never said they were. Can we please go get me my bow now?"

The duo approached the puzzle door, Alex scratching his head as he examined the Skeleton Key, trying to figure out how to unlock and open the door, "Huh..."

"What's wrong?"

"Uh… how exactly does this thing open a door that doesn't have a regular keyhole?"

"Gimme that!" Faythe scoffed, taking the key from him and shoving him back, ignoring his protests and stepping towards the door.

"Uh...hmm..." Alex frowned, losing himself in thought.

"Don't think _too_ hard, you'll give yourself a brain aneurysm," Faythe said, rolling her eyes and tapping the key against the door, " _Open sesame._ "

While the door creaked open, both Faythe and Alex turned invisible, slinking into the darkness of the inner sanctum. They separated, searching the large, open chamber for any sign of the Dark Elf Karliah readying herself for an ambush and expecting Mercer. Alex finds her, sneaking behind her and shimmering out of invisibility, " _Boo_."

The elf quickly turned around, pinning Alex to the floor and pressing the Nightingale Blade against his throat.

Faythe appeared behind her, planting her own dagger against Karliah's throat, "I wouldn't do that if I were you...now get off him."

"Where's Mercer?"

"He's dead. And we're the only two people left that can get you your life back." Faythe said, "So you might want to re-evaluate your situation before you do anything rash."

With a sigh, Karliah sheathed her sword and stood upright, Faythe shoved her forward and helped her partner to his feet.

"I highly doubt that," Karliah continued, "That traitor was the only person that could reveal the truth, and you idiots killed him."

"Aww. Now that's not very nice," Alex said sarcastically, brushing the dust off his shirt and pants.

Faythe only rolled her eyes, "You have Gallus' journal, don't you? That's proof enough."

Karliah seemed shocked. "How did you… nevermind. Yes, I have his journal. But it's written in a language I've never seen before."

"Let me see it."

Reluctantly, the Dark Elf passed the old, leather-bound tome to the female Omniversal.

Faythe skimmed through the pages, saying, "It's written in the language of the Falmer."

"Can you translate it?"

"Yes...in theory."

Karliah's eyes narrowed, and she sighed, "...What do you want?"

"Nothing much...just your bow."

The elf sighed again, "All right. We go to the Guilt and you read the journal. Prove my innocence to the other members, get them to _believe_ it, and I'll give you my bow."

"Deal."

"Stay with me, Alex..." Ember said, "We're almost there."

The Commander, barely conscious from blood loss, passed in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware that he was being carried through the wilds of Skyrim. Neither the bitter cold wind or the heavy blizzard were felt by him in his state of consciousness. He was feverish, hallucinating voices and strange, twisted images in the corner of his eyes. He was only slightly aware of Ember, her pleading for his survival.

"Open the gates!" Ember called, racing towards the walls of the city, "He needs medical attention! Now!"

For a few moments, the guards stood in place, dumbfounded at the bloodsoaked, bipedal dragon racing towards them. The gold armour she wore was completely soaked in blood, trailing on the snowy ground behind her.

"What are you waiting for?" Ember spat, "Get those gates open! He's dying!"

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter! The more you wait around the closer he gets to death! He needs medical attention!"

The guards exchanged puzzled glances before hurrying to the gates, shoving them open and allowing the dragon girl to rush inside. She shoved aside anyone and everyone who stood in her path, running swiftly towards the distant palace. Over her shoulder, Alex had drifted into full unconsciousness, and Ember only ran faster. Her body and armor were soaked and sticky in the Commander's drying blood, and she was on the verge of panic, wanting to get him to safety before he passed away.

She finally charged into the palace out of breath, "My Jarl!" she exclaimed, "We need your healers here!"

"Who are you?" Ulfric asked.

"A friend," Ember replied, nodding towards Alex, "He was gravely injured...he's dying and needs help fast!"

Ulfric only nodded, "We'll go get the healers," and he nodded for his guards to approach her. They lifted Alex off her shoulder, carrying the Commander upstairs, and Ember, completely soaked in blood, collapsed to the floor, relieved.

"Who are you?" Ulfric asked again, "Answer now, or I'll have you arrested."

"My name is Ember, I am an Axalian Dragon from the land of Alagaesia to the west. I am a friend to Alex."

"Axalian Dragon?"

"I am...the last of my kind," Ember frowned, looking away in shame.

"The Commander is making friends all around..." then, "Do you have a place to live?"

"I will live in Hjerim with the others."

"It would be best if you stay here with Alex, I believe. Especially if what Alex claims about Piermont is true. If anything, you can be an additional layer of defense to protect him in his vulnerable state. We will also give you two privacy, just be wary about trying any...strenuous...activities until he recovers."

"Oh...uh...we're not mates."

"Apologies then...if you want to go on upstairs, I'll call for my servants to ready some water if you would like to bathe."

"I will once I'm sure Alex is fine."

"Very well then...go on ahead upstairs."

Ember bowed, "Thank you."

Once she had left, Dante, who was eating at the grand hall table, chuckled, "He hasn't done anything with her? Damn, I would have thought the Commander had broken her in, too."

"Perhaps he shows some self-restraint after all?"

"Or perhaps they haven't known each other for very long."

"Well, that, too," Dante chuckled.

"Alex..." Ember began, standing by her friend's side. The court mage was tending to his wounds, several healers also standing around, trying to help him in any way they could. When they had done everything they could for the time being, Ember sent away for the water she had been promised, slowly and carefully removing their armor piece-by-piece. His drying blood was staining the surface, it would take some time before she could scrub it off, but she wasn't going to leave his side until he had recovered, at least this time. Their destinies may be disconnected, but she wasn't going to leave her friend alone.

When at last the water arrived, she sent the servant away, taking off the rest of her armor, piling it carefully on the table, and stepping into the warm water, washing the blood off her body and turning the water red. She paused, glancing up to face Alex, sleeping soundly, bandage wrapped tightly around his bare torso. She recalled the warning he had given her, his fears that she was in danger. Were their fates somehow bound together? Several times they had crossed paths now, was this a sign that their destinies belonged together? Then there was the claim he had made that she was the reincarnation of one of the Archreaper's _Old Regime_. Finally cleaning the grim off her brilliant blue scales, she climbed out of the tub, drying off and sitting down beside Alex, scrubbing her armor clean. When at the last the brilliant shine of her dented and well-worn armor returned, she gently replaced the armor on the table, placing a paw over Alex's chest and clutching his hand in hers. Was he _actually_ the fabled Archreaper? As the lorekeeper of the Axalian Dragons before they're extinction, she knew many of the old legends, that Messoremel would eventually be reincarnated, and that the _Old Regime_ would be reunited at last. It was clear that Ruby was Vitamel, she even acted as the Archangel of Life was rumored to, and it would only make sense if Alex was Messoremel, too.

What if she _was_ Ophelia? Although not a fighting member of the _Old Regime_ , Ophiel was known to be Messoremel's keeper and guardian. They would often call her his shield, although the nature of their entire history was questionable. One story she had heard was that Messoremel was once human, but had ascended into angelhood after death, and that the woman who became Ophelia was his wife in his mortal life. Ember didn't quite believe this tale: only Vitamel was known to be a human ascended to an angelic status.

With the majority of Alex's wounds taken care of, although the Commander still unconscious, Ember considered it a good idea to return the Commander to the rest of his squad. Dressing herself once more, she heaved Alex over his shoulder and carried him back to Hjerim. Upon knocking on the door, Spyro answered, casting her a questioning, "What the hell do you want?" the purple dragon spat.

Ember nodded towards the unconscious Commander, "I've brought him back home."

Casting a distrustful glare back and forth between Ember and Alex's body, Spyro finally stepped back and allowed her inside. She gently lowered the Commander onto the couch standing upright, only to hear another voice roar from behind her, "I _KNEW_ it!"

The armoured dragon turned face Piermont storming towards her, "You! You are the fucking Adjudicator!" he pulled a knife on her, "I should cut out your throat right now!"

"Easy! I'm a friend!" Ember replied, holding her paws up in surrender.

"Bullshit! I recognize that armor from anywhere! You're the cunt that's been fucking with me lately! You're the goddamn Adjudicator!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm only hear to bring Alex back. He was hurt..."

"Leave!" Piermont roared, "NOW!"

Spyro, Sonic, Piermont, and Nala all approached and surrounded Ember, who only backed away. "Okay...okay..." she replied, "I'll go."

"Good, and the next time I see you, I will put a bullet into your _fucking_ head, got it?"

Reluctantly, Ember nodded, "I understand."

"Get the fuck outta my sight."

She turned to face Alex again, gently placing a paw on his chest, "Goodbye, Alex...take care..." and without another word, Ember only turned and walked away, leaving the house and hurrying towards the gate. Perhaps it was a mistake bringing Alex back here, not a single one of them seemed to be friendly, and she feared what would happen to him. Unfortunately, it was too late to do much now, all she could do was pray for his safety. Spyro tailed her through the city, hopping onto the ramparts and watching as the gold-armoured dragoness disappeared in the wilderness without a single glance back. She was dangerous, he could sense this about her, and if she _did_ come back and Piermont refused to kill her, the purple dragon would make sure she went down.

Terrias and the rest of Alex's loyalists returned to Hjerim late that night, long after everyone else had gone to bed. While heading upstairs, something caught Cynder's eye, and the she-dragon was startled to see Alex laying haphazardly on the couch. Quickly glancing around to ensure no one was around, she gently nuzzled him onto her back and made her way back to their room.

"Guys..." the she-dragon said upon entering the room, "I found Alex."

Instantly, Zinnia and Terrias were there to help the still-unconscious Commander to the floor.

"Where the hell did you find him?" Dash asked.

"He was passed out on the couch...I think someone brought him back here."

"Sonichu?"

"I doubt it..." Terrias said, "But _somebody_ found him."

Aria crouched beside the downed Alex, examining his wounds, "He got hurt pretty bad...looks like Ulfric took care of him...we can go ask tomorrow."

Cynder gently nuzzled him onto her back, carrying him to his bed and lowering him carefully upon it. "What do you think happened to him?" Ruby asked, climbing into bed.

"I honestly don't know..." the she-dragon replied, joining the dolphin, "But whatever it was, it's not good..." and the dragoness curled around her human mate, resting her head gently on his chest.

Ruby sighed.

"What's wrong?" Cynder asked.

"Everything just seems to go wrong lately. Between Piermont and Spyro going crazy, the end of the world, nobody loving me anymore, and now Christian and Sonichu."

"Alpha still loves you, Ruby...Alex still loves you, _I_ still love you."

"I just feel so forgotten, y'know?"

Cynder nuzzled the dolphin affectionately, "You're not, and you are still loved..." and Cynder lowered her head to Alex's chest again. Silence lingered for a few moments before Ruby asked, "I wonder if I can convince him to mate me again when he wakes up...it's been so long since we've done so."

"Are you horny?"

"I have been for a few days...ha..."

"Well, _I_ can mate with you."

Ruby blushed, "Is that okay?"

"We've done it before, what makes it so different now?" Cynder chuckled.

"If you could, I would be a little happy."

"Then let's do it," Cynder slid over to the dolphin, nuzzling the creature's head and caressing the dolphin's lower belly with her tailblade, brushing it across her slit, "And if Alex wakes up, he can join us..." without another sound, the she-dragon straddled the dolphin, pressing her cloaca against Ruby's genital slit and beginning to rub against it, smearing their juices, sighing with relief and closing her eyes. As Cynder drew closer and closer to climax, she rubbed faster and harder until they both climaxed, Ruby's light-squeaking silenced by a kiss from the she-dragon. Only once they had finished with their session did the she-dragon return to Alex's side, laying down and curling her body, still hot with arousal, around him. She kissed his cheek lately, nuzzling his side and drifting off.

Alex's eyes blinked open, and after a few seconds of trying to recollect what was going on, he shot up with a start, frantically looking around. A caw startled him, and Blake soared through over the sheets, landing clumsily on his shoulder and cocking her head at him. He scratched the feathers on top of her head, standing on unsteadily legs with a groan. "Fucking hell..." he grumbled, shoving aside the enclosing sheets to stumble into the commons, where the rest of his comrades were staring at him.

"You doing okay?" Terrias asked.

"Been better..." Alex replied, idly scratching his bare, bandaged chest, "Where's Ember?"

The group exchanged uneasy glances, and the Commander felt his heart sink.

"Guys...where is she?"

"Promise you won't lose your shit?" Terrias asked.

His eyes narrowed, "What did you guys do?"

" _We_ didn't do anything," Cynder replied, " _Piermont_ , on the other hand banished her from our little clique. I guess he threatened to kill her if he ever saw her again."

" _What!?_ Why?"

"Because she's apparently some chick that's been haunting his dreams called the 'Adjudicator'," Terrias replied, "Makes perfect sense, right?"

"No...no, no, no...we can't just...chase her away! She saved my life!"

"Yeah, and Spyro's pretty pissed off about that."

Alex clumsily threw on some clothes, "I'm gonna go looking for her."

"There's no point, Alex..." Cynder said.

"Bullshit there isn't! She saved my life, Cyn! I can't just let her get cast aside like that!"

"Alex..." Terrias began, "You've been out for almost three days...she's _long_ gone by now, especially given how she doesn't like to stay in one place for very long as it is."

The Commander frowned, "I didn't even get to thank her..."

"I'm sure she understands," Zinnia said, hugging her boyfriend.

His eyes suddenly narrowing, Alex bore his teeth, "I'm gonna go kill those fucking cunts!" and he stormed out of the room. For several moments, Alpha remained in place, exchanging confused glances before hurrying in pursuit of their leader.

"Alex!" Terrias exclaimed, "I don't think that's a good idea! Think twice about doing something you'll regret!"

"I'm tired of their bullshit!" the Commander roared, "This is getting old!"

"You only attract their attention back to Ruby!" Cynder added, "We're finally getting a little break from their stalking!"

"I don't give a shit!"

"Alex, please stop..." Ruby pleaded.

"Fuck all of you! I'm tired of putting up with them!"

The others abruptly backed down, except for Ruby, who quickly stood firmly between the door and the furious Commander, "Stop it! Think before you do something like this! Please, for me?"

"Fuck off, Ruby!" Alex roared, and the dolphin flinched, her expression saddening before she looked away and slowly stepped aside to allow them through.

"Alex!" Cynder snapped, but he continued on, seeming not to hear her, the she-dragon eyes turned to the dolphin, who had collapsed into the corner, hiding her face, "Oh no...Ruby..." and Cynder ran to her side, "Ruby...he didn't mean it."

"No..." the dolphin replied sadly, although no tears were shed, "He did...he's moved on from me."

"No he hasn't, Ruby...he's just...confused."

"Please don't lie to me, Cynder...I understand. He's finally grown tired of me..." and she stood up, disappearing behind the curtain into hers, Alex's, and Cynder's section of the bedroom. The she-dragon only sighed, looking unhappily towards the bedroom door, now hanging open.

They could hear muffled screaming from below, and the rest of Alpha, sans Ruby and Sapphire, hurried downstairs to see what was going on.

"She's a demon!" the human-form Piermont roared, "Just like you and the Whore!"

"No!" Alex spat, "The only _demon_ around here is YOU! You goddamn, megalomaniacal bitch!"

"At least I'm not a spawn of Hell!"

"For fuck's sake! You're not a prophet! You're not even Christian! You're just some batshit crazy zealot!"

"Blasphemy!"

"Just _listen_ to yourself! Holy shit, man!"

Without another word, Spyro launched himself forward with a growl, tackling Alex and began to claw at the Commander's chest and face. With a hiss, the Commander dislodged the bull dragon and tossed him off, sprinting for the door. Just as he wrapped his hand around the door knob, he felt a hand grab the back of his head, and he was forced to face Piermont, who headbutted him, knocking the Commander backward through the door, scraping his back on the icy sidewalk leading to the door from the road.

Alex crawled away, standing upright on the street and bracing himself for another attack. Piermont stood in place, popping his neck muscles before launching towards the Commander. Alex sidestepped out of the way of Piermont's charge, quickly spinning around the dragon, wrapping his arm around the human-form dragon's neck, and slamming his head against the fence. Piermont went down shortly after and the Commander pounced upon him, relentlessly laying into him with a series of continuous punches, never letting up in his bitter anger and rage. The dragon struggled to defend himself, fight back, and gain the advantage, but Alex—lost completely in his insatiable rage and bloodlust—didn't even give him a second of pause to catch his breath. A ball of fire singed the Commander's nude, stinging back—still burning from the road burns, and Alex fell to the side, rolling around in the snow to extinguish the fire. Spyro lunged towards him, preparing to attack, baring his fangs, but Cynder appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, drilling into Spyro's side in mid-air and sending _both_ dragons tumbling across the street in a tangle of bodies. Tails, claws, and teeth gnashing while the bitter mates fought to the death, Alex turned his attention towards Piermont, who sat against the fence, leaning on it for support. He spat out a glob of blood, eye and nose swollen and bloody, glaring at his rider with a homicidal glimmer, but otherwise making no move to attack, only remained against the wall, catching his breath while blue sparks danced across his body.

"Get her off me!" Spyro roared, struggling as Cynder slowly gained the advantage over him. The dragoness—sobbing hysterically the whole time in her impassioned rage—closed her fangs around his throat, holding him in a deathly grip, a far cry from the love bites they would often give each other in the throes of passion, "She's fucking crazy! Get her off!"

But nobody came to his aide...everybody merely watched the spectacle.

"What the fuck is _wrong_ with you!?" Spyro snarled, "Help me!"

Still, he was ignored. Even _Piermont_ just watched, cracking a grim smile.

"Piermont! Help me for Chrissakes! This bitch is gonna kill me!"

Instead, the Martaanean Forest Dragon spat another glob of congealing blood towards Alex before heading back into Hjerim, slamming the door shut behind him. Soon after, the rest of the Forest Dragon's followers wandered in behind, followed by Alex's loyalists. Soon, only Alex remained, his expression blank, watching as Cynder burned through years of pent-up anger and pain upon her abusive mate, beating him senseless and bloody, sobbing the whole time.

"Do something! Get your whore under control!" Spyro protested, trying to tear himself free of the dragoness.

"Karma's a bitch, ain't it?" Alex smirked, standing up and stumbling back inside, leaving Cynder alone to continue beating the helpless Spyro, burning through all the years of bottled anger and betrayal she felt towards her mate.


	28. Chapter XXVII: Agennitos

_**Chapter XXVII**_ **:**

 **-'' _Agennitos_ ''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _25 November 2016_ -**

 **- _1451 Hours_ -**

At the market, Terrias and Azazel were shopping, purchasing supplies for supper that night. "Excuse me..." a nervous voice spoke from behind, and with the servine turning to face the source, a courier approached, handing him a letter, "This came in from one of the guards in Solitude, I was told to deliver it to a representative of Alpha Company."

"Thanks," the servine replied, passing the courier a few gold coins before rejoining the demon boy.

"What's that?" Azazel asked, currently standing in front of the farmer's market, purchasing corn.

"Not sure," Terrias replied, reading the letter. After several moments of silence, he sighed, "Shit..."

"What's wrong?"

"Promise you won't tell your dad?"

"I promise."

"You know the Omniversals? Those guys Alex has been hunting?"

Azazel nodded, "Yep, what about them?"

"They're in Solitude."

"You're not going to tell, Dad?"

"No...they had nothing to do with the attack on Vernhelm...trust me."

"I believe you," Azazel nodded soberly, "You're not lying. If you were, I'd know."

"I talked to Synthia...and I truly do think they're innocent. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time...so we're just gonna pretend this little letter doesn't exist..." and the servine tore it to unrecognizable shreds, letting the cold wind blow the pieces out of the palm of his three-fingered paw and scatter them throughout the dreary, dingy, nearly-ruined city of stone.

"Damn, I'd imagine you're getting pretty close to bursting," Fox chuckled, checking up on Ruby's pregnancy, "Dolphin gestation generally takes a year...but you seem to be getting pretty close already."

"Maybe my mutations?" the dolphin suggested.

"Possibly."

"I still hope that he's born normal..." the dolphin frowned, "After Piermont shot me, I'm not sure anymore...the doctors seemed worried that he might have problems."

"Well, there's not a whole lot we can do about that," and Fox folded his stethoscope, putting away his supplies, "Not sure when exactly you'll be ready to give birth but...you're not too far away now."

Upon turning to leave, Fox greeted Alex, who suddenly entered the room. "How is she?" the Commander asked, standing next to Zinnia, whose arms were wrapped around his waist.

"Probably any day now."

"Already?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Maybe her mutations have advanced her pregnancy...or maybe second-generation mutants just develop faster in the womb.

"Tell that to Terrias and Aria...how long did it take before Raphael hatched? And now she's pregnant with another!"

"Well, I don't really know a whole lot about their species...same goes for Realm Dragons, which is why I can't say a whole lot about Spyro and Cynder."

"What about Piermont, Cherub, and Junior?"

"Again, can't say much...dragons are a new species, remember?" he chuckled, "There's not a whole lot of research on them and their reproductive habits. So there's nothing to compare mutants against. Now, maybe if Nala or Keisha would have gotten knocked up before the loss of their respective mates, we might have a different story."

"Or if Dash gets pregnant."

"She's a pegasus, so there's not that much research there either. 'Sides, she'd need a fertile mate first, and I don't think she has any intention of looking for one."

"Athena?"

"Raptors are supposed to be extinct...? And again, who would fertilize the egg? Her brother?"

"Zinnia?" and the girl playfully punched him, but Alex only grinned mischievously towards her.

"Possibly..." Fox grinned back, "Although I suggest putting a ring on it first before you jump to kids, huh? If making your mom happy is the plan, that is."

"She can suck my cock."

"That's disgusting."

Alex fell silent, thinking for a few moments over what he said, "Wait a minute..."

Both Fox and Zinnia burst out laughing, with the doctor clapping him on the back, "Glad you're doing well, Alex..." before Fox finally left the room.

Zinnia turned to the Commander, "So, you're already talking children, huh?"

"Don't you want kids?"

"Of course I do...I want a _lot_ of kids...but perhaps we should wait a bit for that, huh?" she kissed him, "I mean, we're still at the height of our careers, and we're not even married yet."

In a quick, sneaky movement, Alex reached into his pocket and withdrew his mother's ring, which he had been holding onto since his falling out with Sarah, "Do you want to be?"

Zinnia quickly glanced down towards the object, her eyes snapping back up to meet his. She was stunned speechless, completely caught off guard by the offer.

"C'mon, do I really have to go down on one knee?" he chuckled, "I'd rather save that for the honeymoon, huh?" he winked at her.

"I...I don't know what to say..." she replied, shocked and blushing.

"Maybe yes?" Alex grinned.

Finally regaining her composure, Zinnia nodded vigorously before throwing herself into Alex's arms, hugging him tightly and burying her face into his shoulder. Again, she nodded, and through her voice, muffled by tears, "Yes...yes...I would love to."

Hugging his new _fianc_ _é_ , Alex's eyes fell upon Ruby, who was only awkwardly watching them, wearing a slight, awkward smile. Realizing what he had just done, and personally horrified, he broke the embrace, whispering to her, "I'll talk to Rapid about it later, okay?"

"Oh shit..." she whispered back, "I forgot about her..."

"I'll talk to you later...love you."

She kissed him quickly, "Love you, too," before quickly leaving the room.

Turning to face his delphinic mate, eerily calm after what she had just witnessed, Alex quickly apologized, "Ruby, I..."

"Don't apologize," the dolphin replied, smiling towards him, but there was a slight hint of sadness in her expression, "You two seem happy together."

"This isn't the end for us, Ruby, I promise..." and he hurried out of the room after Zinnia.

As she watched him leave, her smile slowly dissolved into a frown, and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. Cynder was right, and her own ignorance had blown her only chance, she had ruined everything, and now she was too late. _Unfortunately..._ the dolphin thought privately, _I think it is..._

Upon returning to the living room, where only Zinnia stood, chatting on her cell phone, Alex approached her, confused. She ended the call, turning to face the Commander, "Round up the others...Sam's got some information for us."

"Another mission? Can't it wait?"

"No," she replied, "Not a mission...it's about Akumi."

Touching the _Titan_ down a mile outside of the campus in Coulson, North Carolina, Alpha Company strolled up the paths, through the mountain forest, heading towards the peak of the mountain where the campus itself sat. "You know, I'm fucking glad it's sunny this time. I'm tired of getting rained on, especially since bad shit always happens in the rain."

"I haven't seen rain in a _long_ time," Azazel sighed.

"Right," Alex replied, "Forgot this is your first time hanging with us out here."

"We should have brought Nick."

"I would rather not," Alex replied.

"'Cause Alex doesn't like _him_ either," Terrias chuckled.

"Fuck you, man," the Commander replied.

"Here? Now? Shouldn't we wait for some more privacy first? I mean, if you _really_ want to..."

"Okay, that's enough," Rapid replied harshly, "Please, I don't want to hear that."

"Sorry, Reverend," both Alex and Terrias said in unison.

"You really should get to know him," Azazel said, "He's friendly and funny."

"Don't really care to, Zaz, no offense."

"We will have to eventually," Necrodusk said, tailing the crowd, "He possesses _Soulreaper_."

"I know," Alex replied, "But we should get _Bloodreaver_ first, that'll be harder and is _actually_ able to do damage against mortals."

" _Soulreaper_ can kill _Filios Diaboli_."

"So can we...with little incident, just so long as they don't sic the Hunters on us."

"Well, you _will_ need _Bloodreaver_ , for both the Hunters and the Thralls, _Soulreaper_ doesn't do much against them...I mean, it can harm the Thralls, but not outright kill them, and it's completely harmless against the Hunters."

"What about the Minor Breakers?" Terrias asked.

"Again, we need _Bloodreaver_."

"The Alpha Breaker?" Alex asked.

"You need both _Bloodreaver_ AND _Soulreaper_."

"Fun..." Terrias sighed.

"Like I said," Alex chuckled, " _Bloodreaver_ is currently more important to grab than _Soulreaper_ , so _Soulreaper_ can wait."

The Commander was startled by Blake, who launched herself off his shoulder and flapped towards the rising sun. "What the hell!?" Alex groaned, calling after her, "After everything I did for you?"

However, she dove a few times over the nearby lake, returning to his shoulder soon after with a small bass, flapping away in the eaglet's beak, splashing Alex's face and shirt with water.

"Fuck's sake!" the Commander protested, holding a hand against the spray while Blake quickly devoured the fish, " _That's_ disgusting."

"Well, you _are_ taking care of a Bald Eagle—which is a fish eater," Terrias chuckled.

Alex flipped him off.

"I don't want the bird," the servine laughed, "She's yours, _you_ keep her."

"Oh f..." but one glance towards Rapid, who shook his head, silenced the Commander, who only turned to face the trail ahead. The grade finally began to level out, allowing the winded group to catch their breaths before continuing towards the nearby campus. Finally, they spilled out of the forest alongside the north end of campus, strolling into it. Much of the students walking lazily to their morning classes like zombies paid them no heed, and even the few that did couldn't seem to be bothered to do anything but stare.

"Friendly bunch," Terrias commented.

"Probably too friggin' exhausted to do anything," Rocket groaned, yawning, "Can't say I blame 'em...I hate mornings, too."

"I'm sure _most_ of us do," Alex replied.

"I don't," Rapid replied.

"That's why I said _most,_ Reverend."

"Spyro's the morning person," Cynder said, her voice trailing, "I'm always the night owl..." she had largely been keeping her silence after her explosive outburst against her mate, doing or saying nothing. The Commander pitied her, especially since she had been isolating herself from the rest of the group as of late. He tried to approach her a few times, but she had merely skirted conversation...she was ashamed of herself, even though she did the right thing. When she had finally come to her senses, and had clambered off her battered, barely-conscious mate, horrified, Spyro had taken the opportunity to flee, and both he and Piermont had been mysteriously absent since.

"I only like one thing about mornings," Terrias grunted.

"You _hate_ mornings!" Aria spat.

"I hate _almost_ everything about mornings...except for one thing."

"Uh huh...and what's that, may I ask?"

Both Terrias and Alex exchanged wide, toothy grins before they exclaimed, " _Praise the Sun!_ "

"There you guys are," Sam said, waving towards them. Akumi stood beside him, smiling and waving towards Zinnia, who waved back.

"What did you find, mate?" Alex asked, arms crossed at his chest.

"Something interesting..." then, "Follow me, I'll show you."

In the building for the nursing college, in one of the classroom laboratories, Sam led Alpha Company into the large room where several students worked on projects. "Dean!" he called to one of them, a short, scrawny kid with long, blonde hair and blue eyes, "You have the results? My friends here would like to see 'em!"

"You're friends with Alpha Company?" Dean began, awestruck, "I didn't know you were doing this project with _them_."

"That bad?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow, arms crossed at his chest.

"No, not at all...I just...wasn't expecting _that_."

"The results?" Sam impatiently asked again.

"Oh! Uh...right..." and he led them across the room, opening a fridge door and pulling out several blood samples.

"Ow..." Zinina commented, "Hope they didn't prick you _too_ much, Akumi."

"Nah, I'm fine, it didn't hurt that much."

"Yeah, and the pricks healed soon after, too..." Dean replied.

"Well...yeah...that, too," Akumi frowned.

"Check this out!" Sam said, focusing a microscope onto the sample and passing it off to Alex.

"Yeah...what am I looking at?" the Commander asked, "A bunch of red blood cells?"

"Blood cells with a genetic abnormality," Dean said, and he picked up a remote, flickering on a projector and dimming the lights, "This genetic abnormality is strange...she heals incredibly fast, and..."

"Looks like _our_ cells," Rapid interrupted.

The Commander nodded, "I was just thinking the same thing..." he turned to Dean, "We have a very unusual mutation, given to us by a special chemical we took that rewrote our genetic code, gave us a lot of cool powers and abilities like this..." and Alex opened his palm, summoning a small ball of fire within. He extinguished it by closing his fist, "Our cells look deformed, and some docs even said that our cellular activity is random, unpredictable, and sporadic. They equated our mutations to cancer, and for a moment thought we actually _had_ cancer. So here's the burning question...why the fuck does Akumi have a mutant's cells, when neither she or _any_ of her family have been exposed to the serum?"

"Maybe it has something to do with her parentage?" Sam added, "Her cells are also capable of changing forms on a dime...meaning she could potentially change from a solid to a liquid to a gas and back again without problems, if she could figure out how to do so."

Alex's heart sank, "She can turn into smoke?"

"Potentially, yes," Sam replied.

"Fucking hell..." the Commander replied in wonder, "She's one of them..."

"If she's powerful enough to change states of matter, then there's no telling what else she can do," Rocket said.

"Yeah, and all of a sudden it makes perfect sense why Vergil wants her dead..." Dash frowned, "Jesus."

"Here's the best part," Sam said, "Given some time, we can reverse-engineer a suppressant from these samples, which you can thus use to make Vergil vulnerable."

Alex grinned, "And we can finally kill that bastard for real."

"Yeah."

"Excellent work, Sam!" Alex nodded towards Dean, "And excellent work to you, too, sir."

"Thanks..." the young man replied shyly.

"Now it's a simple matter of keeping her safe..." and Alex turned to face Akumi, only to find her missing. "What the...?" he frantically looked around, finally seeing the girl across the room, fully engrossed in a private conversation with Zinnia. With a sigh, he said, "Fuckin' hell, just get a room, you two."

"Hey..." Terrias began, nodding ahead, "You guys got an ultrasound?"

"Yeah," Dean said.

The servine glanced towards the Commander, "Yo, Alex, they have an ultrasound...whaddya say we hook Ruby up to that bitch and see your kid swimming around in there?"

"Can we?" Alex asked, curious.

"Sure," Dean responded, then, "Um...who are we checking out?"

"The pregnant dolphin," Terrias replied.

"Oh! Uh...sure, come on over here."

Ruby comfortably laid down on a table, instructed to relax. The dolphin was excited, and she sent her mate a warm smile, hoping that he would return it. Instead, he cast a jealous glance back towards Zinnia, who was still chatting along with Akumi. Her smile rapidly diminished soon after, and with a sigh, she leaned back, turning to face the projector while Dean searched around with the device.

"Alex, you paying attention?" Terrias asked.

The Commander's eyes snapped to the screen on the wall, "Yeah, yeah...I'm paying attention..." Ruby turned to the side, seeing Alex's hand hanging very close to her fin. She slowly reached for him, dismayed when he crossed his arms at his chest, just as she was about to hold his hand. With a slight, unhappy whistle, she turned again to face the screen. "Why you upset, Ruby?" the Commander asked, "Aren't you excited?"

His complete obliviousness to her suffering and the cause of it only sank her mood even further. How could he _not_ see why she was so upset? It was like he had completely forgotten about her and her feelings after his reunion with Zinnia.

"There it is!" Dean exclaimed, turning to face the wall, and Alex couldn't help but to smile. A small dark shape resembling a dolphin, curled into a tiny little ball, twitched and moved around inside of his mother's womb. Something about the sight ignited something deep within the Commander's gut, a sense of pride and a sense of love for both the tiny creature and his mother.

"Definitely a boy," Dash chuckled, noticing that the child's genitals were dangling out before him, not in its slit, "Well endowed at that."

"So that's my father..." Azazel said in a small voice, and Alex glanced towards the young goat boy, wearing a frown, "He looks so helpless and innocent..."

"Alex..." Sapphire began, "Look at the eyes."

The Commander did as he was told, and was legitimately chilled to the bone by what he saw. The eyes were glowing like a cat's in the night, seeming to be looking straight at him. It was a glare that he was familiar with, one that Deitus had given him upon finally coming face-to-face with his reincarnated father.

"Deitus..." the Commander frowned.

"Looks like one of his fins is deformed..." Terrias frowned, "One's smaller than the other."

"Could that be where Ruby was shot?" Cynder asked.

"It's possible," the servine replied.

"Do you think he'll be healthy?" Ruby asked, voice tiny and childlike.

"I'm sure he will be," Aria replied soothingly, "Worse comes to worst, one fin will be a little weaker...not like he'll be spending much time in water anyway."

Gaze distant, mind empty, Alex approached the projected video, opening his bionic hand and placing it over the fetus' side, "My son..." he mouthed. He lightly caressed the screen, as if stroking the calf's flank, before returning to Ruby's side, appearing tired and defeated.

"Any time now..." Cynder said, "You'll be able to touch him for real."

"You're right..." Alex smirked.

"You okay?"

"I have mixed feelings," he replied, "And I hope to _Christ_ that Piermont was wrong."

"I'm sure he is," Terrias replied, "Gabriel may be a dick, but I don't see any reason for him to lie..." then, "What _are_ you gonna name him anyway?"

"Who?"

"Who the hell do you think?"

"Oh...uh...haven't really thought of anything."

"Call him Gabriel," Terrias smirked, "That way when the angel comes back—like he inevitably will—he won't know who we're talking to or talking about. Piss him off when he 'accidentally' overhears us talking about him as if he's a child. 'Have you changed Gabriel's diaper yet?' 'Gabriel won't stop crying!' 'Please put Gabriel down for his nappy-nap.'"

"Gabriel..." Alex smiled, "I like it, has a certain ring to it...angelic name helps to disassociate him with his past incarnation," the Commander turned to face his mate, "What do you think, Ruby?"

"I don't care," the dolphin frowned, voice cold, "You do whatever you want."

"Ruby?" Alex cocked his head to the side, "Everything okay?"

"Fine," she replied, sounding angry, "Just fine..."

Confused but saying nothing, Alex said, "Gabriel it is, then."

"I was joking...but okay," the servine shrugged, "Got it."

Ruby looked sadly towards her unborn child, happy to see that he was healthy and alive, but also upset that she had lost Alex, and her entire plan, her entire surprise for him, had been ruined. _Maybe I wasn't meant to be your wife...the mother of your children._


	29. Chapter XXVIII: Witch Hunt

_**Chapter XXVIII**_ **:**

 **-''Witch Hunt''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _29 November 2016_ -**

 **- _1019 Hours_ -**

Alex noticed something off about Ruby.

Ever since they had returned from the States after viewing their child _in utero_ , Ruby had been growing increasingly distant. She wouldn't even let Alex get close enough to her to cuddle at night, she slept away from him, and if he and Cynder went to bed before she did, he would wake up to find the dolphin sleeping on the other side of the she-dragon, putting Cynder between the two of them. He wondered, at first, if this had something to do with his proposal to Zinnia, which he _had_ accidentally performed in front of the dolphin, but despite everything he tried to do to cheer her up, to prove that he still loved her, she refused. The only thing he _didn't_ do was offer to mate her, and that was because he didn't want to put his and Zinnia's relationship in turmoil because he was sleeping around with other girls. He had refrained from _any_ sexual activity with both Cynder _and_ Ruby since he and Zinnia had gotten serious, but he still loved them and showed them this. The she-dragon didn't seem bothered, only Ruby, and when he tried to talk to her about it,she shied away from the conversation.

He had even brought the subject up with Cynder, but the dragoness refused to say what was going on. She said she had a few ideas, but something either conveniently came up that required her to leave, or she found something she could use to derail the conversation to another topic. He was deeply concerned for his delphinic mate, especially since she wouldn't tell him what was wrong, and all he wanted to do was figure out what was going on, to try to help her through whatever was bothering her. He loved her deeply, and he hated to see her in this state.

"I don't know what I did wrong, Terrias..." Alex sighed, sitting in Windhelm's tavern and drinking a mug of ale.

Despite being early in the morning, the bar was packed. Waitresses ran around, tending to the guards, mercenaries, and passing adventurers that stayed here, and a bard, standing in front of the fire, strummed at his lute.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Terrias replied, leaning back in his chair and sipping from his _own_ mug of ale, his unbuttoned trenchcoat laying open to show the raised, crossed scars on his chest that Jazz had dealt him many years earlier, "This pregnancy is bound to have her hormones all out of whack. She'll improve."

"I hope so...I've never seen her so distant from me before. I mean, yeah fucked up when I proposed to Zinnia in front of her, I admit that, but I apologized countless times, and I'm doing everything in my power to try and convince her that I still love her."

"Have you offered to mate with her? That always fixes shit whenever it breaks between you two."

"I haven't done anything even _remotely_ sexual with either of my mates since Zinnia and I made things official between us."

"Smart man."

"I don't wanna to make the same mistake I did with Sarah."

"As much as I agree with you wholeheartedly on your choice...you may want to at least _make_ the offer to Ruby. Her warped mind seems to sometimes think that the only way to show that she loves someone is to fuck 'em. Or maybe that's the dolphin mentality in her," he smirked.

"I guess the offer wouldn't hurt."

"If you explain yourself to Zinnia, I'm sure the act itself wouldn't hurt, just so long as you don't make a habit of it. Zinnia knows how Ruby is, I'm sure she'll understand."

"She says that she fully approves of my relationship with them, the only returning condition is that I invite her sometimes."

"Ooh, kinky. Didn't realize she was bisexual."

"She's a zoo, like me."

"Right..."

"I doubt the sex of the animal matters, just so long as she gets her rocks off on something non-human."

"Well, if Zinnia fully approves of your relationship with them, and she is legitimate in her approval, then why aren't you acting? Hell if I were you, I'd be all over that shit. Reason I don't bang _Avery_ is because Aria likes to keep a monopoly over me, else I'd be screwing her brains out every fucking day, she's one kinky motherfucker."

"Yet you want me to fuck you."

Terrias shrugged, then in a low voice, "For obvious reasons, she doesn't know about that, and I don't intend to tell her..." then, "Also, I've been...getting acclimated to having something in there. I still need to get used to it, but I've been practicing, so we'll be ready soon...maybe."

"What have you been using? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's...not important," he replied, then leaning back, "But...um...yeah, I'd offer to mate with Ruby, that's the best way to let her know that you still love her. If you're really so worried about Zinnia, ask her first and explain yourself."

"I might do that...thanks, man."

"No problem..." but Alex was aware he was acting strangely. Leaning forward in his seat, the Commander whispered, "You horny?"

The servine nodded.

"Want some relief?"

He nodded again, this time more subtly, and after paying for their drinks, they left the tavern returning to Hjerim and making their way behind the house. Ensuring that nobody was around, Alex reached down to Terrias' swollen cloaca, coaxing out his surprisingly warm hemipenes and tugging on them gently. The servine sighed, leaning his head back against the wall, and Alex closed his mouth over the servine's kissing him as Terrias finally reached orgasm, his seed oozing out from his throbbing hemipenes into Alex's hand and between his fingers, sliding down the servine's smooth shaft and gathering in the base of his cloaca. As his small, twin shafts retreated back into his slit, which then closed around them, Terrias chuckled, "Thanks for that..." then, "You know, to be completely honest, I'm actually kind of excited for us to mate. It's a feeling I've been curious about...I'm sorry I'm just taking so long to prepare myself for it."

Alex kissed him again, "Take as long as you need, okay?"

The servine nodded, "I will, thank you, Alex."

"You're welcome," and the hugged, "Anyway, I need to clean up, and we should probably get back before someone notices."

"Don't want me to help you?"

"Saving it for Ruby...hopefully. And if she doesn't want it, I'll save it for a bigger load when you and I finally do it."

He seemed disappointed, but otherwise said, "Sounds good," and with Alex clapping his friend on the back, they walked around the yard and entered the house. Back inside, they headed upstairs, entering the room they shared.

The Commander found Ruby laying down in bed, chatting in her native sounds, most likely talking to her unborn child. "Ruby?" Alex asked in a small voice, and the dolphin fell silent, not turning to face him. When she didn't respond and several minutes passed by, Alex gently sat down on the bed beside her, placing his hand over her warm flank, "Ruby...what's wrong? Talk to me, love."

"It's not important," she replied.

"It is...you're my mate...I love you, and it hurts to see you like this...what's wrong?"

"If you want to chat, talk to Zinnia."

This cut him like a knife, and he laid down, resting his head on her side and sliding his arm around her pregnant bulge, glancing at her belly with a warm smile. Indeed she was getting close to giving birth, not only was her belly extremely swollen now, but her tiny, dark-red, almost maroon teats were swollen and jutting from the pouches alongside her similarly swollen genital slit, "Ruby, you're my mate...you mean the world to me, I want to know what's wrong."

"Tell me, Alex...do you say that to _every_ girl you mate?" the dolphin snapped, " _I love you, you mean the world to me_."

"Ruby...I don't want to fight."

"Just...leave me alone."

"Please, talk to me. What can I do to prove that I love you?"

"You really want to know?" the dolphin frowned.

"Yes, I do."

"Break off the engagement, end your relationship with her..." and tears rose to her eyes, she looked away, "I...I'm sorry...I've just been...dealing with a lot of stuff lately...personal stuff. I don't mean to worry you, I'm fine."

He caressed her belly, feeling their child moving around inside, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No..." she replied, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Is it Piermont?"

"No...it's personal afflictions, there's no outside influence involved."

Silence for several moments as Ruby looked away, staring towards the wall, "Listen, Ruby...I still love you, more than anything else in the world. My relationship with Zinnia isn't necessarily...legitimate...as much as it is us trying to continue our secret relationships—like me and you—without undergoing the scrutiny of the world anymore, so they don't take me away from you again, or vice versa."

"But you still love her."

"Yes...but not in that kind of sense. She was the first girl I ever slept with...she took my virginity, my relationship with her is...special...if only because my virginity is something I'll never get back. I love her, but not in the way I love you or Cyn..." then, with a sigh, "I used to love her that way, a long, long time ago. She didn't return the feeling..." he shrugged, "For a long time, I fought with that...and then I met Cynder and Sarah."

"She came back for _you_."

"Yes, but back then, she didn't want a committed relationship. The night we spent was, in her own words, an experiment to see if people like us—zoophiles—could find pleasure in the company of another human being. It was never meant to get beyond just two friends experimenting with sex. It had a lasting effect on me though...an effect that wouldn't go away until I took Cyn as a mate."

Silence again for several more minutes before she asked in a small, childish, and extremely shy voice, "Alex...can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, love."

"If by some miracle, I became a human right now..." she turned to face him, bright, blue eyes shining wet with tears, "Would you marry me?"

He kissed her mouth, whispering, "In a heartbeat."

"Would you be willing to have children with me?"

"I would love to."

She only nodded, and Alex massaged her belly with one hand, scratching the base of her dorsal fin with the other. After several minutes of silence, Ruby asked, "Alex...can you please mate with me?"

The Commander fell silent, his eyes turning to her lower belly, where the red blush of sexual excitement was starting to brighten. His eyes then averted to her genital slit, swollen and wet, and although he wanted, badly, to do so, his mind kept turning to what happened with Sarah, and his eyes turned to the sector of the room that Zinnia resided in. As much as it pained him, as much as he wanted to, he shook his head, "No...I can't."

Ruby sighed unhappily, once again turning away from him, "I'm sorry for asking..."

"I can rub you off..."

"No," she replied, "I'll ask Sapphire for help, go back to Zinnia," her tone, sounding betrayed and heartbroken, also contained a sharp edge, one that cut the Commander deeply, and he realized that he had probably just undone everything else he had said to her.

"Ruby, if you want to mate, I'll...I'll just suck it up. If you want to mate, I'll do it."

"No," she replied bitterly, "I don't want you to. Go back to Zinnia."

"But I..."

"I said no, please leave me alone now...I'm done talking."

"Ruby..."

"Goodbye, Alex."

Silently kicking himself for only fracturing his relationship with Ruby even more, he stood up and made his way back to the commons, blood running cold when he heard her quiet crying behind him. He pursed his lips, squeezing his eyes shut in shame before slipping out into the common area, spying Terrias lounging in front of the fire. Tearing up himself, the Commander walked to his old friend and the two embraced, while the servine tried to sooth his friend's pain.

"Am I walking in on something?" Cynder asked, entering the room.

"No," Terrias replied, "Just..." his eyes turned to the sector of the room Ruby was in, "It's not important."

Privately, Alex thought to the she-dragon, _I'll tell you later_.

Seeming to understand, at least vaguely, what was going on, the she-dragon frowned, _I'm sorry, Alex_.

 _I fucked up...it's_ my _fault._

 _She still loves you_.

 _I'm not so sure about that..._ Alex sighed, _Ruby was only one who I felt most comfortable around—no offense, Cyn—and now, because of my terrified little ass...I lost her._

 _Oh, no..._ Cynder frowned, mental voice and eyes adopting a sympathetic tone, _I'm so sorry, Alex...I thought things fell out between you and Zinnia._

 _No...they fell out between me and Ruby._

Cynder hugged him then, _I hope everything works out between you two. You two are so close, I'd hate to see all that just go away. You two are so happy together..._

 _Same here...if there were two people in the world I couldn't stand to lose...it's you and Ruby._

Alex audibly sighed again, turning to face where Ruby resided, _I would give_ anything _for the world to accept Ruby and I as a couple...for my family to accept Ruby and I. She means the world to me, if only everyone else could understand, they would let me take her as my wife, and they would just leave us the hell alone._

 _I'm here for you,_ Cynder said, smiling at her mate and gently stroking his back with her tailblade, _If there's anything you need, just let me know._

He nodded but said nothing in response, leaving the room. Cynder and Terrias turned towards each other, exchanging sympathetic glances before turning again to face where Alex had gone. The servine finally approached the she-dragon, whispering in a low voice, "Can you try to fix things with Ruby? She'll listen to you more than she'll listen to me."

Cynder nodded, "You do the same for Alex, maybe try to work out something between him and Zinnia. He and Ruby are way too happy together for everything to just fall apart around them and for however many years of love they've shared in their relationship to vanish."

"As far as I'm concerned, Zinnia was perfectly fine sharing him with you and Ruby."

"So why is he so worked up over his commitment to Zinnia conflicting with his relationship with us?" Cynder asked with a frown.

"I think he's remembering how shit went down with Sarah."

"But Zinnia _isn't_ Sarah."

"Yes, but he fucked up once, and now he's too scared to do anything else, so he's stuck in a kind of limbo, afraid he'll fuck up something else. I can't say I blame him, and I get where he's coming from...but at the same time, he's about to lose the greatest thing to ever happen to him, the only thing that's really, truly made him happy, because of his stubbornness."

The two separated then, with Cynder slithering into her section of the room, while Terrias slipped outside into the hall, nearly running into Zinnia at the same time.

"Oh, hey, Zinnia? Can we talk?"

"Sure," she replied, "Something wrong?"

"We'll...eh...talk outside."

Walking through the market, Terrias began, "We have a problem, and it involves Alex and Ruby."

"Oh no...what happened now?"

"How exactly do you feel about their relationship? In terms of yours and Alex's engagement?"

She shrugged, "I told him he could still have her and Cynder, we exchanged favors when we talked about getting together."

"Here's the problem...Alex's is struggling with what happened between him and Sarah, I think. He's scared to continue anything with them, because he's worried he'll lose you. Can you talk to him or something? He's about to lose Ruby because of his reluctance to hurt anybody, and she's probably the only thing keeping him going right now. If everything falls apart between him and Ruby, it won't be good for _either_ party, they're currently keeping each other alive."

"I'll see what I can do, but Alex is a stubborn son of a bitch...course you don't need _me_ to say that."

"Trust me, Zinnia, I know that _way_ too well."

"I don't understand why though...I've told him countless times that he can continue mating with Cynder and Ruby, I don't care. Our marriage is little more than a marriage of convenience, it's a facade...to be completely honest."

"Yeah, he told me about your deal. He's scared of getting dragged away from Ruby by the feds again, and although he wants to continue his relationship with her, he wants to do it in private, using you as a beard to prove to the world that Alex Vaughn has finally grown up and away from fucking animals. What did you ask for in return?"

Zinnia blushed, "Well...let's just say I've decided to start getting back into old habits...we're helping each other. I'm a beard for him, he's a beard for me."

"Akumi?"

The French girl chuckled, although still blushing, "Eh...no. Alex and I are both zoophiles."

"Oh, right...want a piece of Ruby and Cynder yourself, huh?"

"Maybe," Zinnia replied with an embarrassed chuckle, "And of course, marriage means we can have sex whenever _we_ want without anyone really caring."

"Well, talk to your fuckbuddy and get it through his thick skull that he better make up his mind on what he wants to do, because if he remains in this stasis of uncertainty and unwillingness to leave while the house burns down around him, he's about to lose the only thing that is really keeping him alive."

"I'll do what I can, but it'll take a lot more than a little chat to shove Alex out of the nest."

"Do _something_ , anything! Hell, threaten to break off your engagement with him unless he gives Ruby a proper fucking, I don't care what you do, but do _something_ , because if everything falls apart between those two, _neither_ one will survive."

"That might scare him a little _too_ much..."

"Yeah? Well he needs a fucking reality check. Believe me when I say this: he does NOT want to lose Ruby."

"I believe you, Terrias, but there's not that much I can do, hon. You'll have to through Alex on this one."

"Then I'll come with you and we'll _both_ try to hammer shit into his head. He's about to make the biggest mistake in his life. His head is so far up his ass he's found Narnia, and we need to get it out of there before he wakes up one morning to find himself alone, having alienated everyone that actually gave a shit about him. Take a look around, every day, he's losing more and more allies. Piermont's preaching and lies are doing some damage. It's a little bit but, like Adolf Hitler said, ' _Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it_ '. We'll eventually get to a point where he finally manages to get through to Alpha, and when that day comes, Alex will be screwed."

"You're preaching to the choir, hon."

"It just...it irritates me to no end. Alex is one of the most stubborn little pricks I've ever known, and it pisses me off seeing him willing to throw away everything because he's two chickenshit to make up his mind."

"Why don't _you_ talk to him then? You're his best friend, right?"

"I have been trying...but he doesn't listen to me."

"So what can _I_ do?" 

"He loves you, for one thing, and he's probably more willing to listen to his _fianc_ _é_ than he is willing to listen to me, especially considering he's afraid that his relationship with Ruby is conflicting with his relationship with _you_."

"This is just one great big mess..." Zinnia sighed.

"Yeah, and that's what I'm trying to fix. He can't afford to lose her, plus, I don't want to see him suffer like this."

"Well...let's just see what we can do," Zinnia replied, "We'll talk to him, and then we'll figure out what to do."

Upon returning to Hjerim from another hour at the tavern, Alex was flagged down by one of the city's guards, "What do you want?" Alex growled.

"I was sent with a message from Jarl Ulfric, sir," the guard reply, "His Highness wishes to speak to you."

With a sigh, the Commander followed the guard to the palace, where the Jarl was speaking with Dante. Upon his entry, Dante nodded towards him, "There he is...good to see you alive and awake, Commander."

"What did you guys need?"

"We've found your friends, the Omniversals."

"What? Where are they?"

"Solitude, a courier was dispatched to send you the message. We just wanted to make sure that it got to you."

"I didn't hear anything about it, thank you."

"Try not to burn _too_ much of Solitude to the ground," Ulfric chuckled, "I still have plans for the city."

The Commander grinned maliciously, "Oh, you won't have to worry much about it, don't worry."

Alex, riding upon Dash's back, emerged in the skies above Solitude, leading Alpha Company behind him. Terrias and Ruby rode together on Cynder's back, and the servine wore a grim expression, hoping that the Omniversals had a chance to escape before Alex got there. Even though he didn't doubt Synthia and her clan's capability to conquer Alex in combat, he didn't want any harm to come to either party, and this was his primary worry. The _Commander's Wing—_ or what was left of it anyway—landed just outside of the city gates, Dash riding towards the city at the top of the hill. The Commander himself wore an unreadable expression, and Terrias could only imagine what thoughts were going through his head at the time.

The servine turned to the side, seeing Azazel riding alongside him, and the goat boy wore a frightened expression, baring his fangs in fear. It seemed Terrias wasn't the _only_ one worried about what Alex's plan for the Ominversals was. Surely the other members of Alpha Company didn't believe they were responsible for the razing of Vernhelm, right?

Upon gaining clearance from the guards, the gates opened and Alex entered the city, walking through the streets in search of the bar that Ulfric guided him to. It was here that they would meet the guard who claimed to have seen and known where the Omniversals lived. _Synthia..._ Terrias thought out, unsure if they could even hear him, _Might want to get the hell outta dodge if you're still here...Alex's found you._

When they finally reached the bar, Alex dismounted Dash, walking determinedly into the bar and looking around for their contact, "Commander Vaughn?" a man said, nodding at them from the bar. Alex took a seat beside him, "Where's those fuckers?"

"Right to the point, eh?"

"I'm not in the mood for small-talk. Where are they?"

"I don't actually _know_ where they live, but I've seen them wandering around the city."

"Anywhere in particular?"

"I've seen them around the Bard's College a few times, you might want to start checking there."

Alex stormed towards the Bard's College, the rest of his unit in tail. "Alex!" Dash exclaimed, the first to catch up to him, "Where the hell are you going?"

"I'm going to find these fuckers and chop them to bloody fucking chunks!" he roared, "They'll pay for Vernhelm!"

"Alex!" Terrias exclaimed, out of breath, "For fuck's sake, it's not their fault! They had nothing to do with Vernhelm! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was goddamn _Sonichu_ that led _Filios Diaboli_ to our doorstep!"

"I knew they were trouble the moment I first saw 'em," the Commander growled.

"Please reconsider before you do something stupid!" Cynder protested, "We don't want to start some international incident!"

"I don't give a shit!" he roared in a booming voice, "I've been hunting these cocksuckers for weeks! It's time I give them what's due!" and he snapped around, spying Synthia strolling casually out of an alley, taking in the scenery. " _YOU!_ " he roared, launching towards her, the rest of his unit chasing after him, trying to diffuse the situation before it could get any worse.

Synthia turned to face him, "Ah, Vaughn. To what do we owe the horror?" she asked, amused at his anger.

He grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the side of the building, opening his free palm and producing a bright ball of flame within that seemed to dim the rest of the light around the gorgeous city around him, preparing to strike, "You bastards led _Filios Diaboli_ right to our fucking doorstep! Our city got burned to the ground and my kids were abducted because of _YOU!_ "

"Alex! It's not their fault! How many fucking times do I have to say that?"

"FUCK OFF, TERRIAS!" he roared, "I _know_ these cunts were involved!"

"Cause you're so goddamn threatening," Terrias sighed, "You know pissing her off will only make things worse...you can't fucking scathe her even if you wanted to."

Cynder dove between Alex and Synthia, forcefully shoving Alex away with her lowered head, sitting atop him to restrain him, "Jesus Christ, Alex _stop!_ Don't do this again!"

Dash stood off with Synthia, the pegasus keeping an eye on the Omniversal to ensure she didn't try anything.

Synthia rolled her eyes, completely unfazed by the assault, "Okay... first of all, am I really supposed to find you threatening? What exactly are you gonna do, Skittles?" Synthia said to the pegasus, and still facing her, the Omniversal addressed Alex, "Secondly... how many times do I have to tell you this, asshole? If we wanted to kill you, we would just kill you, and it wouldn't be that hard to do it. None of this other bullshit is necessary for us. Or are you too stupid to understand that we have literally nothing to gain from killing any of you?"

"I'm a helluva lot meaner than you may know of from whatever stupid friggin' universe you came from," Dash growled.

"She's innocent!" Terrias roared, "And Synthia, don't antagonize them, you're better than that. Don't stoop down to their level."

"You're on her side!?" Alex managed, out of breath from Cynder's weight on his chest, "You fucking traitor!"

"I'm not a traitor," Terrias sighed, "But I know them, and as much of an asshole as she may be, she's innocent this time around."

"He's telling the truth..." Azazel said in a small voice, finally catching up to the group alongside Ruby, Sapphire, Rocket, and Scarlet.

"You, too!?" Alex growled, "What the fuck!?"

"Settle down, Alex," Cynder replied, tightening her hold, "And I'll let you up..." she grinned, "I'm personally finding this quite kinky."

Synthia sighed, "Okay. Twice now, I've tried reasoning with you, and I'm really fucking tired of it. I sincerely apologize to everyone except for the living flag and Commander Jackass over there for what's about to happen. Hey, Violet, do you mind stepping in now?"

"My pleasure," Violet said, dropping her invisibility and revealing her position on the roof directly above them. She summoned a Frost Thrall in the middle of the group while Faythe showed up behind Dash and hit her with a Lightning Bolt.

Body spazzing from electrocution, Dash emitted an exclamation of surprise before collapsing to the ground. "NO!" Alex roared, taking advantage of the ambush to knee Cynder in the stomach, throwing her aside before scrambling onto his feet chasing after them.

"Stop!" Terrias snarled, standing between the Commander and the alley, Alex only evaded his lunge, punching him in the crotch before throwing him to the ground, racing down the alley.

"Come back here you bastards!" Alex roared, and Terrias struggled to stand upright, coughing.

"Motherfucker!" he snarled, gasping for breath, "Stop him! Somebody!"

"On it!" Zinnia exclaimed, her and Jazz taking down the thrall with their pyrokinesis before chasing after Alex. Rapid tended to the injured.

"Scar, on me," Rocket replied, "We're gonna see if we can slip ahead, neutralize him from a distance."

"Got it," she replied, grabbing her sniper rifle.

"The rest of you spread out," Cynder began, slowly standing upright, "See if you can cut him off."

The Omniversals split up, with Alex following closely behind Synthia, cornering her in an alley's dead end. Synthia paused, turning to face the slowly approaching Alex, balls of fire burning in both of his hands. She conjured a Storm Atronach to distract him, Violet extending a hand and pulling the Omniversal onto the rooftop. The Commander cut down the atronach, leaping onto the roof and pulling himself up, racing towards them, "You won't get away from me!" he snarled, following them to the roof of the Blue Palace.

Violet and Synthia continued their sprint, the former charging a Frost Rune spell and throwing it at the Commander, aiming for his face. Alex only raised an arm, summoning a pillar of flame from the ground that bifurcated the spell, its two halves falling harmlessly to the side. In a similar manner, Alex summoned a wall of fire to cut off the Omniversals, and as they turned around to face him, readying themselves for a fight, a shot rang through the air, the bullet tearing through Alex's calf in a spray of blood. He fell to the ground, and, on the roof of the building across the street, Rocket loaded another round into the chamber, taking aim should he move. "Yeah, that's right, you stay right there, buddy."

With several powerful flaps, Cynder landed atop the roof, approaching her human mate, "Why?" the Commander groaned, clutching his leg.

"You're out of line," the she-dragon spat.

Suddenly, around them, several guards piled onto the rooftop, weapons drawn and preparing to engage, "You're under arrest," one of them, the captain of the guard, began.

Violet looked at the guards, "I don't really feel like I'm under arrest. In any case, we're kind of in the middle of something here, could you maybe come back in a couple minutes?"

She was answered by several of them appearing behind her and throwing her to the ground, binding her limbs and dragging her away. Alex prepared to fight back, but it didn't take long before he, too, found himself bound and dragged away. Several guards exchanged glances with the captain, who said, "Get the Dragonborn here to take care of this dragon."

The Omniversals shared a single cell in Solitude dungeon. Faythe and Violet sat huddled together in the corner, Synthia paced around, occasionally glancing towards Alex Vaughn, and Omniversal Alex stood at the door, trying to get the patrolling guard's attention.

"Uh, excuse me, jailer? When do we get our phone call?" he asked, but he was ignored.

Synthia suddenly grabbed hold of her brother, turning him to face her, saying, "Really, Alex? You're making jokes at a time like this?"

"Aren't you the one that's always on me about being too serious sometimes?"

"We're in jail, waiting to be executed! Now's not the time for jokes!"

Wearing a grin, he leaned forward towards his sister, as if to kiss her, whispering in her ear, "If you would just calm down already, Syn, I might be able to let you in on my plan without that idiot over there overhearing..." and he nodded over to Faythe and Violet, leading his sister and lover over to them.

"You have a plan?" Synthia whispered.

"That can't be good for any of us." Violet replied, and Faythe nodded in agreement.

However, Omniversal Alex ignored her, saying with a wide grin, "Tomorrow at dawn, our powers are finally coming back to us; that giant hole in the sky is gonna pop up, and the Omniverse is gonna start crashing down into this clusterfuck. All we need to do is buy some time for that to happen. When it does, we show that asshole exactly why he should never have picked a fight with us."

"How do you even know what's gonna happen?" Synthia asked.

"I wasn't entirely powerless while I was in that medallion for whatever reason. It's really convenient, actually. I looked into the future to see what was coming up. I didn't get everything, but I knew they would be here when that hole opened up."

The other three Omniversals facepalmed.

Synthia bore her teeth in an angry snarl, "...You had us come here so they'd pick a fight and get us all arrested just so you could fight them right after our powers came back, knowing that we would have ended up actually fighting them anyway?"

Alex nodded, and Synthia slapped her brother again. Soon after, Faythe and Violet added their own to hers.

"Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his face, "What was _that_ for!?"

Alex paced around the cell in Solitude dungeon, which he shared with Rocket, Terrias, and Eli. "You know, walking around ain't gonna help your ass," Eli grunted.

He paused in front of his cell door, glaring towards the Omniversals, sharing a cell across from him. "Y'know," Rocket began, "Why don't we just lock you and Synthia in a cell together, see what comes out. Five bucks there's gonna be some rough sexing when we open it back up again."

"Bite me," Alex growled.

"Thought that was _my_ job," Terrias chuckled.

"Oi!" the Commander roared, attracting the attention of one of the patrolling guards, "I want to speak with Jarl Ulfric."

"You're lucky if you get to speak to the headsman before it's over," the guard chuckled.

"Oh, I don't think you want to do that..." Terrias began, "We happen to be on good terms with the guy, he won't take kindly once he finds out we're being held in an Imperial dungeon."

"You don't scare me, lizard," the guard chuckled, "Ulfric is too racist and superior to care at all for pathetic minor races like yourself."

Just as he said this, the door slammed open, and the Jarl himself strolled in, Dante to his left, "What is the meaning of this?" the Jarl snarled, "Incarcerating my generals? You better have a reason for this."

"Jarl Ulfric...?" the guard began in surprise, "What are you doing down here?"

"Freeing my men," the Jarl replied, "You better have a good reason for this."

"They fought in the city, set several buildings on fire, a few citizens were injured."

"That is all?"

"Uh...yes, sir."

Ulfric sighed, "Let them out..." and he walked to the Commander's cell, "I thought you said you wouldn't cause any trouble?" but the older man was grinning widely.

"Yeah well..." Terrias shrugged, "They're Imperials, who really gives a shit."

The Jarl chuckled, "Indeed, Snake, indeed..." Ulfric then approached the Omniversals' cell, crossing his arms and saying with a smirk, "So, you are these Omniversals that Commander Vaughn keeps bemoaning...you don't look like much of a threat to me."

Omniversal Alex walked towards him, "Appearances can be deceiving, Ulfric. For example, you don't seem like an idiotic, power-hungry piece of shit, but hey, plot twist! You are."

Violet decided to chime in, "Run back to your little hideout, Ulfric. When we're done with them, Windhelm's next."

"I would love to see you try," the Jarl replied, "Windhelm's mighty walls have stood for thousands of years against evils uninmaginable. If Mehrunes Dagon and Molag Bal couldn't penetrate them, what makes a small, infantile creature like yourself believe that _you_ could? With Commander Vaughn's army on our side, and allies all around the mighty Tamriel, you won't stand a chance."

Violet chuckled, casting chain lightning at them, "It's cute that you think that, Ulfric. Still the same delusional prick you always were, huh?"

He recoiled briefly from the attack, scattering the guards and Dante from him, but once he recovered, he righted himself, casting a healing spell. Smirking, he said, "Great power has its perks..." then he turned to the guard, "Have them executed at dawn tomorrow..." and to his companion, in a hushed tone, "Stormblade?"

"Yes, Jarl Ulfric?" Dante replied.

"In the event they are any truth to their words, "Make contact with our allies in Rune and Parmecia, perhaps even Alagaesia, have some troops on standby, and see if General Elliott will be on standby to observe the execution. These beings may not seem powerful, but I can sense that they have untapped strength...they are not at full capacity, and they are well aware of their ability."

"Yes, sir."

"As for you..." Ulfric approached the newly-freed Alpha Company, "Try to stay out of trouble, as difficult as the temptation may be to resist."

"Roger that," Terrias replied.

"Now, let's get back to Windhelm, the stench of the Imperial milk drinkers living within these damned walls is sickening."

"See you later, Ulfric. Better call in all of your favors. You're gonna need the help," Alex said.

Ulfric said nothing, only left the dungeon, Alpha Company in tow.

Alex and his unit decided to stay within the city to oversee the Omniversals' execution. While they waited for the headsman, the Commander was surprised to see that Rune master swordsman General Elliott, a dragonman and Alex's sword trainer was to commit the execution. "General Elliott!" the Commander exclaimed, embracing his master, "It is good to see you, Master."

"Indeed, it has been far too long, Commander. I assume you're doing well."

Alex shrugged, raising his bionic arm, "Down an arm, other than that, I'm still alive. Took a bitch of a time to get used to wielding a second sword, decided it was best just to use my fake arm as a shield...works fairly well."

"Adapt to your handicaps, take advantage of them..."

"Exactly as you taught me."

"It's good to see you remember our lessons, Commander Vaughn."

"How could I ever forget?"

They fell silent as they turned to see the Omniversals being led up towards the execution yard, and Synthia was forced to her knees.

Alex smirked, "I do love seeing women on their knees."

"So you decided to stay, huh? Bad move there, Vaughn. If I were you, I'd start running now. Better head back to your little bitches at Windhelm. Make it much easier on us to kill all of you," Synthia responded, smiling.

"Again, you don't scare me cunt," Alex chuckled, "I've dealt with worse threats than you in my lifetime."

General Elliott then put on his helmet, drawing his sword and approaching the kneeling Synthia, placing the cold steel of the blade against her neck, "If there is anything you'd like to say, youngling, here is your chance."

"Heh. How cute... you have no idea," she turned to face her brother, who simply nodded.

"Four," Omniversal Alex began.

"Three," Faythe added.

"Two," Violet said.

Synthia looks back at Vaughn, still smiling, "One."

Just then, an ethereal roared echoed throughout the world, causing all eyes to snap to the sky, searching for its source. "The Alpha Breaker..." Necrodusk began in a low voice, "We need to go! Now!"

"What?" Alex began, "Why?"

An explosion rocked the city, the sky above almost seemed to shatter like glass, and a Minor Beam tore through the air, crashing down directly onto the execution yards—and the Omniversals. The shockwave of the Beam's impact sent everyone flying back, and Alex was knocked to the ground, ears ringing from close impact to the boom, his vision blurred and in slow motion. Around him, the skies were alight in a brilliant lavender hue, fireballs rained down from the heavens, and his eyes widened with horror as Synthia levitated above the crowd, appearing as if crucified. Her eyes glowed a brilliant white, and she smiled at the Commander, chuckling darkly, voice layered and omnipresent, "You better run!"

"Commander Vaughn!" Elliott coughed, the old dragonman hurrying to Alex's side and helping him onto his feet, "Come! We must get out of here!"

"Terrias, what the fuck is happening!?"

"I...I don't know..." the servine replied, viciously glancing around while the guards fired arrows at the levitating Omniversals, all four of them now sharing the same stance as Synthia. Also joining the fight, _Filios Diaboli_ crawled out of the Beam, including two Minor Breakers, three Hunters, and countless Shadow-Knights and Imps.

"GO!" the servine roared, "We won't stand a chance against these freaks!"

"Mother _FUCK_!" Alex roared, clambering onto his feet, helping the rest of his companions stand upright, and then racing down the cobblestone path of Solitude towards the gate, ducking out of the way as fiery meteorites crashed into the world around them, setting everything aflame. Tentacles burst forth through the cobblestone, slapping and swiping at the fleeing Alpha Company. "These fuckers are goddamn insane!"

"Oh... you're not going anywhere yet, assholes!" Violet shouted. She conjured a pair of scythes and fired a blast of ice at Elliott's feet, freezing him in place. He tried to tear himself free, but the Omniversal approached him preparing to deal the killing blow.

Just then, a blue-green blade punched through her torso, catching her by surprise. While Nick withdrew _Soulreaper_ from her abdomen, Necrodusk appeared from behind, summoning several shadowy tentacles from the ground, wrapping themselves around the Omniversal's limbs and pulling her down to the ground, pinning her in place. Cynder melted the ice around Elliott's feet, nudging him onto her back, and the group continued their sprint, Necrodusk holding Violet down for several moments before turning around and continuing ahead with his group.

"This is why you shouldn't piss 'em off!" Terrias spat.

"How the fuck was I supposed to know they were some bitchy fucking pricks with a god-complex that get offended because someone said some mean things! Oh wait...they are, but how the _fuck_ was I supposed to know they would try to react by KILLING us!" Alex growled.

"You tried to kill them!"

"It was their damn fault!"

"You didn't help matters!"

The Omniversals teletported to the gate to block their way, prepared to fight. "Aww... what's the matter, Vaughn? I thought you weren't afraid of us..." Synthia taunted.

"Sorry, but I don't hit girls when they're on their fucking periods, come back later..." then to Necrodusk, "Get us out of here!"

"On it," and in a flash of purple light, they were outside the gates, making their run through the wilds of Skyrim.

The Omniversals gave chase; Faythe, Violet, and Synthia flying above them. Omniversal Alex appeared through a portal directly in front of the Commander, punching him in the face and knocking him back. Violet then surrounded them on all sides in a small lavender-colored arena, separating Alex from his allies with an impenetrable wall.

"Cute that you bitch at me for playing unfairly and yet here you are..." the Commander chuckled, "You did this to yourselves, you bastards," then thinking to Necrodusk, _Necro, I might need your help._

 _I may know a way, hold on for a few minutes._

"Oh, we're being unfair? That's really cute, considering you got your little bitchboy Ulfric to bail you out and pin your rampage in Solitude on us!" Omniversal Alex shouted, "We were never in your way, you fucking braindead piece of shit. Even your fuckbuddies over there could see it. All you had to do was stay out of ours, and we would have left. But no. You just had to do all this, didn't you? All this shit? It's on you. Not me. Not Synthia. Not Faythe or Violet." he said. Looking back at the rest of Alpha Company, he continued, "Not even them." he looked back at Alex, "This is all your fault. No one can help you now, Vaughn."

"And let's completely forget about the fact that you threatened to destroy Windhelm once you were done with us? Cause that totally isn't a threat! What did _he_ do!"

"Oh, that? That was for his own good, Vaughn. I was helping him! We never had any intention of attacking Windhelm. But when I said he would need all the help he could get... I meant it."

"Regardless," the Commander frowned, "We never had any problems with _any_ of this shit before you bastards turned up. Ever since you showed up, we lost Vernhelm, my kids were taken away from me, and Piermont's corruption is bleeding into the rest of my unit. _You_ did this!"

"Alex..." Terrias began, "Shut up."

Omniversal Alex conjured a sword and took a swing at the Commander, who dodged it, "Fuck off, Terrias!"

"I'm serious! Listen!"

Ignoring the servine, Alex tore free his sword from its sheathe lunging towards the Omniversal, who dodged. The flapping of wings sounded in the distance, and just as Alex was about to strike again, a familiar voice rang throughout the air, "Well, look who we have here."

Alex turned to the sky to see Spyro hovering in the air above them, further above, Piermont circled the brightening skies, and the Commander bore his teeth in anger, only for Omniversal Alex to take advantage of is lapse in focus and thinly slice through his torso with the bound sword.

"Ah... now it's a party," Violet said, smirking.

"I don't imagine he feels the same way..." Terrias replied, and Piermont suddenly dove from the sky, opening his maw and spewing dragonfire down upon the group. Alex evaded the attack, clawing for his dropped AK47.

Spyro swooped down shortly after, knocking the Commander off his feet and knocking him aside, "This is for stealing Cynder from me!" he snarled, but he was knocked off the Commander by a black-and-gold fireball launched from Necrodusk. Piermont then turned his attention to the Omniversals, preparing to attack.

Faythe laughed, "How many reptiles have you been with, Vaughn?" turning her attention to Piermont, she added, "Let me guess, he dumped you for the servine?"

The dragon took on his human form, chuckling an throwing aside his long, unkempt hair. The broken bone of his eye socket still jutted from his forehead like a horn, the wound itself become infected, and he adjusted his eye patch, withdrawing the dagger from his waist and approaching the girl, "Oh, honey...I decided to end the relationship myself, he stopped serving my needs..." and he stroked her body, grabbing her crotch, "You, on the other hand, would serve my needs perfectly."

"Leave them out of this, Pierre!" Alex growled, "This is between you and me!"

He chuckled, "No, it's between me and your whore..." he slapped the Omniversal, tossing her aside and approaching the Commander. Cynder prepared to engage him, but Spyro tackled her to the ground, pinning her down and holding her against the ground.

"Whatever it is between you two is gonna have to wait. I'm up first, bitch," Faythe said, firing an arrow at Piermont.

With a growl, the dragon returned to his natural form, charging towards the Omniversals, "You're gonna regret fucking with me!"

Violet teleported up onto a tree branch and leaped off, landing on the charging dragon and tearing out the bones of his wings. He snapped and snarled towards them, hissing and dislodging the Omniversal from his back, throwing her onto the ground. "Let's get out of here while they're occupied," Terrias growled, "Pierre brought down these barriers, let's run while they're busy."

"But..."

"Don't ' _but_ ' me, Alex," the servine growled, "Set aside your fucking hard-on for them. We're fucked if they decide to turn against us again."

Omniversal Alex charged into Piermont, sending the dragon flying towards the fleeing Alex and Terrias, knocking them both to the ground. The Commander pushed the servine off of him, picking himself up off the ground and standing to his feet, firing his AK47 towards the approaching Synthia. "Goddammit, Alex! Now's not the time for a fucking dick-measuring contest!" Terrias growled.

Piermont stood up clumsily, roaring and charging again towards Omniversal Alex, snorting smoke from his nostrils.

Synthia managed to deflect all but two bullets from the Commander's weapon. One grazed her leg, the other went through her hand, and she screamed in pain, collapsing to the ground and baring her teeth in anger. She telekinetically tore the bullet from her body, sending it flying back through the barrel of Alex's weapon and into the Commander's stomach. He stepped back, doubling over and collapsing to the ground. Faythe, hidden nearby, cast a healing spell on the Omniversal, and the Commander stood up, clutching his bleeding stomach.

Synthia stood up and drew her dagger, walking towards Alex. The Commander, with a growl, tossed his damaged AK47 to the ground, drawing his sword and approaching the Omniversal, the blue sparks of healing dancing across his wound.

Synthia continued forward, but just when it seemed she was about to attack, she teleported behind the Commander, stabbing him in the back. She whispered into his ear, saying, "Just remember—this is all your fault!" and she kicked him to the ground, teleporting away with the rest of her group.

Alex collapsed to his knees, growling as his wounds healed, and Terrias helped him to his feet. By now, the rest of Alpha Company, sans Cynder, Zinnia, and the servine, had already fled the battle, and just as Piermont, irritated at the Omniversals' sudden disappearance, turned around to face the trio, they teleported away from the battle, reemerging in Windhelm. With a roar, Alex stood up on unsteady legs, popping his neck while the last of his injuries healed.

"Alex..." Terrias began, "If you keep antagonizing them, we'll all be fucked."

"They need to pay...did you see that shit? Fucking cheap shot man!"

"I agree, their way of fighting is childish, immature...but they're also cowards, they're not soldiers, they're children who were given incredible power and not told how to use it. They're spoiled little brats, what more do you expect? All pissing them off will do is make things worse, they can't be reasoned with."

"I hope Vergil carves those bastards to pieces."

Terrias chuckled, helping his friend to his feet, "Y'know, I can't help but to agree..." he clapped his friend on the back, "Now let's get back to Hjerim before Piermont and Spyro come back."


	30. Chapter XXIX: Just Like Old Times

_**Chapter XXIX**_ **:**

 **-''Just Like Old Times''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _04 December 2016_ -**

 **- _1210 Hours_ -**

Alex sat up in bed, groaning as he checked his watch, seeing the time, "Fuck..." he breathed, laying back down and massaging his temples. His head ached, and he reached into his nightstand, digging out a bottle of ibuprofen, popping a few pills before finally climbing out of bed slipping into the commons. His eyes first turned towards Ruby, and he felt his heart sink when the dolphin only looked away from him, refusing to meet his glance. He took a seat beside her, ignoring his squad's conversations. "Ruby," he began, "I'm sorry."

She said nothing, only looked away.

He turned again to face her, "I'm sorry for hurting you...I didn't mean to offend you."

He glanced over at Terrias, who nodded in approval.

"Ruby, I..."

"Don't worry about it," she interrupted, voice cold, "I don't want to hear it."

"Please, Ruby...is there anything I can do to prove that I'm sorry?"

"Leave me alone," she replied.

"You're my mate," he said, "I don't want to lose you."

"You already have," she replied, voice still broken and empty, "You don't care about me anymore, a-and I understand...you want Zinnia, that's fine...but I don't want to hear your pity."

"Ruby, I love you...you mean the world to me...please, give me a chance to prove it."

"I _gave_ you a chance, you made your choice...I'm done. Let's just...let's leave it on good terms, okay? I don't want to fight you, Alex..."

"I won't leave you, I don't _want_ to leave you and...God damn it, what I have with Zinnia isn't..." he sighed, "Please don't do this, Ruby."

"Goodbye, Alex," she replied, walking across the room to take a seat by Sapphire, refusing to meet his eyes.

Zinnia, instead, sat beside the Commander, half-hugging him in an attempt to cheer him up. By now, an awkward silence had fallen over the group; nobody was really sure what to say. Terrias turned towards Cynder, who only shrugged, and the she-dragon sighed towards the dolphin.

"You know, Ruby...surely there's a way you two can work it out," Cynder began, following the dolphin outside to relieve herself.

"He doesn't love me anymore, Cynder..." she frowned.

"He _does_ love you, Ruby...more than you realize."

"Then explain Zinnia. Why is he hanging around with her?"

"So he can continue being with you," the she-dragon replied firmly, "By publicly marrying Zinnia, the world's scrutiny on him will be lifted, meaning that you two can finally be together without having to worry about being caught and arrested again. He doesn't actually love her, he loves _you_."

"He wouldn't mate with me when I asked him, too...he said he was afraid of losing her like he was afraid of losing Sarah...he _does_ love her."

"Ruby...go to him," Cynder began, "Tell him your concerns, give him another chance."

"What if he hurts me again?"

"Then he did this to himself, and he doesn't deserve you."

She sighed, "I hope you're right, Cynder..."

"Hey..." the dragoness nuzzled her, "You two deserve to have each other. You two seem so happy together."

As they finally headed back inside, Cynder made sure she got to the Commander first without making Ruby suspicious, confronting the distraught young man and saying, "Ruby is about to come here and offer for you to mate her, if you want to keep her, I _strongly_ suggest you accept her offer. I talked her into giving you one more chance, don't waste it."

"Thank you, Cyn..."

She kissed him, slipping him her thin, reptilian, sandpapery tongue, "I love you, and I hate to see you upset...make sure you give Ruby the best time you possibly can. She hasn't had your touch for some time, make sure it's worthwhile."

"Of course..."

And with a final kiss, the she-dragon disappeared into the section of the room she shared with Alex and the dolphin. The rest of Alpha Company had left on various errands, so aside from the she-dragon, who was preparing to head to the market, they would have at least an hour of privacy. As soon as the dolphin entered the room, Cynder smiled towards her and left, closing the door behind her.

"Alex...?" she began in a small voice, coyly approaching her mate.

The Commander stood up, walking towards the dolphin, "Ruby..."

She blushed, as nervous and shy as ever, "Can you mate with me?"

He smiled back, hugging and kissing her snout, "I would love to."

The dolphin's mood instantly brightened, and heavy relief settled over her, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her back, "You will?"

He kissed her mouth, "Yes...I love you, Ruby, and I don't want to lose you over something so stupid as this. If mating with you will prove that I love you, then let's do it..." and he led her to his dead, the dolphin happier than she had been in a _long_ time.

Cynder was the first to return, wanting to make sure everything went well between the two lovers. Upon entering, she found Alex and Ruby having just finished up, Ruby sitting in the commons, wearing a warm, satisfied smile. There was a certain glow around her, and even from here, the she-dragon could see moisture shining on her lower belly, around her genital slit. Alex stumbled out into the commons soon after, wearing nothing but his jeans, flipping his shirt right-side-out and throwing it around his head.

"You two look happy," the dragoness chuckled with a smile, "Hope I'm not interrupting something."

"You came back just in time, as a matter of fact," Alex replied, "We just finished up."

"Glad to see you two happy again."

"We ironed out a few misunderstandings, explained some shit...had a little bit of fun...think things will be A-OK for us," the Commander replied.

"Was it intense?" the dragoness asked, grinning mischievously.

"Very..." Ruby replied.

"Well," Alex laughed, "It has been months since either one of us have gotten laid so...I think it's safe to say it was quite intense."

"There was a lot, too..." Ruby blushed, "A lot more than there normally is...we made quite a mess."

"Again, it's been months," the Commander replied, sitting down beside his delphinic mate and hugging her tightly, kissing her snout and scratching the base of her dorsal fin.

"I'm really happy for you two," Cynder smiled, "Really, I am."

"Well, if you're wanting to get in line, it'll be awhile."

"No," she chuckled, "I'm fine...for now anyway...I just wanted to make sure you two managed to spend some time rekindling your relationship and fixing your problems."

"I think we're all good now," Alex replied, leaning back, with Ruby resting her head in his lap, forced to lay on her side due to her distended belly.

"Glad to hear," and she sat down beside her mate, resting her head on Ruby's. Alex sat there, scratching the heads of both of his mates, watching the fire crackling and popping in the hearth.

Synthia and Violet sat around the _Ragged Flagon_ in the Riften sewers, laying low in the aftermath of their showdown against Alex. Omniversal Alex and Faythe sat in the Cistern, speaking to Brynjolf. The Thieves Guild had been restored to its former glory since Mercer's death. Several members of the Thieves Guilt sat around the bar, staring at Synthia and Violet, listening in and trying to figure out what they were talking about, but not interfering in the conversation.

"Seriously, Violet? You want to help them now? After everything they've done? Why?" Synthia asked, irritated.

"Well...it's our job, isn't it?"

"They tried to kill us four times, remember? They clearly don't want our help!"

"Whether they want it or not is irrelevant. We still have to."

"We don't have to do anything. They don't deserve our help, Violet."

"I agree, Syn. Honestly, I do. But you're better than that. We are better than that. You really want to let this whole world die because of Vaughn and his jackassery?"

"Maybe you haven't been paying attention, but this world can't really be helped. It's a fucking mess."

"Yeah. It is. But just because we're in Bad Fanfiction Land doesn't mean we should just let it die. What are the nice people back in our world gonna laugh at if we let stuff like this disappear?" Synthia chuckled and Violet continued, "Look. They may not want our help, or even actually deserve it to begin with. But whether they want to admit it or not, they need us."

Synthia sighed, "Fine. We'll stay and help. On one condition."

"What's that?"

"Help me get Auriel's Bow first." Synthia said, smiling.

"Deal."

Alpha Company appeared over Vermilion, Alex and Ruby riding Cynder, who flew low over the street, her talons raking the roofs of the fourth-floor buildings lining the small village's downtown. "What exactly are we doing here again?" Terrias asked.

"Hoping to get some R&R," Alex replied, "Get out of the Gothics and get away from Piermont and company for awhile."

"I suppose," the servine responded.

"Plus, I figured now is as good a time as any to announce Zinnia's and my engagement."

Privately, Terrias thought to Alex, _I really don't think this is a good idea...can Ruby handle it?_

 _She's gonna have to...but once everything is said and done, she'll be glad we did it this way._

 _Okay then..._

 _Trust me, mate, I've got a plan._

And silence befell them until the fractured _Commander's Wing_ landed in the front yard of Alex's family's home. It was a bitterly cold, but sunny day, not a cloud in the clear-blue sky, and the Commander's unit hurried to the front door, hoping to get inside before they were forced to stay outside any longer.

Upon entering the house, they were greeted by a warm fire, soft Christmas, the interior already decorated for Christmastime, and the sweet, rich smell of hot chocolate, which Alex's mother was making on the stove. "This is quite the surprise," his mother began, "I thought you all were in hiding?"

"Decided to stick our necks awhile...cabin fever's a bitch," Alex replied.

"Language, Alex."

"What brings you down here?" his much-friendlier father asked.

"Figured I'd hang with the family for awhile, the spirit of Christmas and all that shit...er...jazz. Spend a few weeks down here with you for Christmas, just like old times."

"Well, it's quite the surprise, and it's good to see you again..." but even as he said this, the Commander was aware of his mother glaring at him.

Turning to face them, the Commander called Zinnia over to him, "By the way, I wanted to share a great announcement with you..." he wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, pulling her close, "Zinnia and I are officially engaged to be married."

While his father congratulated him and his mother stared at him, speechless and shocked, Alex was well aware of the sudden darkening in Ruby's mood and tone. Her aura darkened considerably, despite his explanation, she still did not like this plan of his...even though the Commander _really_ had no choice. The _Ruby Clause_ , the only chance Alex and his delphinic mate had of remaining together—at least publicly speaking—had fallen apart and was all-but-stalemated in the Senate, not officially shot down, but making no progress in terms of getting passed.

"I thought you and Ruby were a thing?" his father asked.

"Well..after the prison scare, that kinda fell apart."

Ruby's tone only darkened here, but the Commander tried to telepathically inform her that he was lying to get on and _stay_ on their good side, but it seemed she couldn't hear him, or wasn't paying attention.

"Thought you loved her and she meant the world to you?" his mother grunted.

"Well, I've come to terms with my sins. I've begged for forgiveness..." then, casting an anxious glance towards the unhappy dolphin, "Can we please not talk about this...she's not taking it very well."

"Sorry, son," his father said, then changed the subject, "How have you been? Everything okay?"

"Good enough I suppose," Alex replied, "Things have been rough with all this crap going on around the world. We're making no progress on taking our city back...but we don't really have an army...especially with Piermont having completely gone off the deep end."

"How is he?" Alex's father asked, voice sober and sympathetic.

Alex sighed, "He's too far gone, I think...I've tried everything I can think of to bring him back but...the moment he sees me, he jumps into action and tries to kill either me, Ruby, or both."

"Sounds rough."

"It has been...and I'd rather not talk about it, to be completely honest."

"What the hell!?" Ruby exclaimed, once the Commander found some time away from his family's questions and requests for updates, "I thought you said that everything was okay!?"

"I did, and it is," Alex replied, smoking in silence out in the front yard, watching the sun set in the west.

"You lied to them! Or did you lie to _me_!?"

"I _told_ you Ruby, play along."

"Why do you reject me in front of them?" she sounded offended, "I don't understand..."

"No," Alex replied coldly, "You _don't_ understand," and he violently turned towards her, "If you want us to stay together, the world cannot know."

"Why not?"

"Because the world will not _ever_ accept us as a couple! Is that really so fucking hard to understand? If it gets out that you and I are still together, they will separate us _again_! Is that _really_ what you want? It's either you keep me here by your side forever—in secret—or I proclaim to the world that you are my true love, and then I lose you forever. The choice is yours."

"So what?" she frowned, "Are you going to deny your son a father?"

"If that's what I need to do to keep you, then yes."

"This is wrong...you can just deny that anything ever happened between us! Especially when I'm pregnant with _your child_!"

"I can if it's what I need to do to make sure I don't lose you again."

"This is wrong and unfair!"

"For fuck's sake, Ruby!" he snapped, "Me ever being with you in the _first_ place was wrong! But I did it anyway, and if you want us to continue, if you want us to stay together, we're going to have to make a sacrifice. The whole fucking world doesn't need to know that I still fuck you. I don't understand why I need to tell everyone that I love you just for you to believe it. Why can't telling you _in private_ satisfy that need? Why do you doubt how I feel? I love you, but Jesus fucking Christ do you get on my goddamn nerves! You're so fucking clingy! You don't believe a single word I say, and you're driving me to the brink of fucking insanity. Just... _stop_! Please, for the love of God, just _STOP_! Do you want us to stay together or not?"

"Not if you're just going to pretend that there's no love between us!"

"Then I guess it's the end," he replied solemnly, "I can't keep doing this, Ruby...you're becoming unbearable, I can't...I can't keep doing this."

The dolphin's heart sank, "So it's over then...that's it."

"It's over," Alex reiterated, baring his teeth, and he stormed inside, leaving the heartbroken dolphin alone.

That night, Ruby explained what had happened earlier that day to Cynder, unable to believe what had just transpired.

"Well..." the she-dragon began, "In his defense, you are becoming increasingly hostile to him. I told you what you needed to do, and you didn't listen to me. Honestly, this is all on you."

"So you're against me, too, huh?"

"I'm not _against_ you, Ruby," Cynder replied, maintaining her cool, "But you're getting ridiculous, paranoid, and unstable. He's been patient with you, and you've done nothing but push the boundaries and his limitations. Frankly, that's one hell of a testament to his love for you: the fact that he lasted as long as he did."

"But why? Why would he just end it all?"

"Did you not just hear what I said?" the dragoness scowled, "He _told_ you his plan, you didn't accept it. He's doing this...all of this..for you. The whole ruse with Zinnia, he's doing because of _you_. And you're sitting here, moping and ungrateful for it all! Take a step back and just _listen_ to yourself. You need to calm down and stop doubting him so much, all its doing is pushing a wedge further and further between you two. You're walking on _very_ dangerous ground with him, you've just about pushed him beyond his limit, and if you keep pushing, he'll eventually snap and will _completely_ wash his hands of you...something you _don't_ want. That's what he did to Spyro, that's what he's doing to Piermont, and that's what will happen to you, if you don't settle down."

"I thought you were my friend..."

"Ruby, you're fucking unreasonable. Take a step back and think about whether you want to continue going down this road. He loves you, he's proven it time and time again. The fact that you keep demanding proof is only pushing him away. He's reaching a point where he realizes that you can't be satisfied, that you'll only continue to doubt and question him, and he'll soon get to a point where he simply stops caring. He's _dangerously_ close to that point, and if you don't stop it now, you _will_ lose him forever, and I'm sorry, but not a single person here will pity you."

"What do I do?"

"I told you several times already," Cynder growled, "I'm not saying it again. See? This is _exactly_ what I'm talking about!"

"But..."

"Goodnight, Ruby, this conversation is over."

"Alex?" Zinnia began, stepping outside to find the Commander sitting in the backyard, smoking in silence.

"What do you want?" he grunted.

"Everything okay?"

"Hell do _you_ think?"

She stood beside him, clad only in her bathrobe, and she placed a gentle hand over his, "What's wrong?"

"It's Ruby," he replied, "I've never seen someone so ungrateful and demanding as her, and it's pissing me off."

"What did she do now?"

"There's no pleasing her! I'm doing all this shit, building up a stack of lies, so that she and I can be happy together, and she's just sabotaging it in any way she possibly can! I'm sick of it, and quite frankly, I'm about to reach my breaking point. After everything I've done for her, everything I've given, she is _still_ not happy! The more this bullshit continues, the more I regret ever meeting her in the _first_ place!"

"You don't mean that, Alex..."

"Bullshit I don't! I've never seen such an ungrateful, undeserving bitch like her!"

"Settle down, Alex...just...take a deep breath."

"My patience is wearing thin. I'm doing all this elaborate, complicated, and frankly _difficult_ shit to make her happy, and instead she's lamenting that I apparently haven't proven my love for her, and that, because I won't publicly acknowledge that I love her, I might as well not care about her at all."

"Maybe Piermont's getting through to her."

"Yeah? I don't care anymore. As much as it pains me to say it...I just...I don't care anymore. I'm done, if she's gonna believe that I don't like her just because I'm not telling everyone I see that I love her, then it's probably time that I stop trying. I can't get through to her, and it's clear that she refuses to listen to reason."

"Please just be patient with her. At this point, with Piermont's corruption influencing many of our brothers and sisters, it's difficult to hold anyone completely accountable for their actions."

"Yeah? And what about Spyro?"

"Him, too."

Alex sighed, "Zinnia...what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to stop everything from going to shit?"

"Do you want my honest answer?"

"Yes."

"Put Piermont out of his misery, and pray that, by stopping him, we can liberate the others."

Alex frowned, "Alpha Company has fallen..."

It didn't take long before the lack of activity began to drive Alex crazy. Excessive privacy, with his parents working and siblings in school, coupled with his complete avoidance of his delphinic mate, refusing to so much as acknowledge her presence, caused him to grow bored fairly quickly. With nothing better to do, Alex decided to accompany his youngest brother, named Kyle, to school—attending junior high now—if anything to see how much it had changed since he had attended. It had been many years since he had been in junior high school, and his experience was _far_ from pleasant. It was still nothing compared to the hell he went through in elementary, but he and his unit had still found themselves alienated by their peers. Even his _teachers_ couldn't care less about the constant bullying and abuse he had undergone, they had ignored him, deemed him as unusual and odd and treated him as with either spite, neglect, or as if he were a mentally handicapped child.

While he readied himself for his trip the next morning, his brother was playing music over the young boy's phone. The specific song beaming over the speakers was 'Foster the People''s _Pumped-up Kicks_ , and the Commander couldn't help but to grin at the touch of irony. A song about a teen who decides to go on a shooting spree at his school, playing in the background as Alex cleaned his broken-down Desert Eagle, waiting patiently for the time to head out. "Y'know," Cynder chuckled, laying back, "I'm quite surprised you never went on some kind of shooting spree, especially given how life apparently really sucked for Alpha Company back in school."

"I'd be lying if I said the temptation had never appeared in my thoughts. Shit, it's all fun and games until a fully loaded gun is planted against your head. Then again, you don't need a gun to scare the shit out of people...you don't even really need _any_ weapons," he began to rebuild is broken weapon, "For example, when I was way younger, there was this kid named Bert...was the meanest sonuvabitch you'd ever seen. He dedicated his life to making ours a living hell...eventually, I snapped."

"What happened?"

"I was in grade school at the time, fifth grade. Actually happened shortly before _older_ me tracked Zack back to the past. It happened during the lunch recess...kid pushed a few buttons too many, I lost control over myself and..."

"...And he liquefied the sorry prick," Necrodusk finished, entering the house, "The first time you ever used the _comos, sereventos, arramos_ shout, if I'm correct."

"Yup...Christ what a mess that was. Funny enough, after that event, nobody dared come near me again," Alex smirked, cocking his newly-assembled Desert Eagle for emphasis.

"Damn, wish I would have been there to see that," Terrias said, the servine's arms were crossed on his chest, and he leaned against the wall across from the Commander, standing in front of the family's wood-burning stove.

"Y'know, there's a certain...high...in holding another man's soul in the palm of your hand. The ability to determine the life or death of another man is a kind of power that's...euphoric."

"I take it you enjoyed killing him?"

"If I could go back in time and do it again, I would..." Alex chuckled, grinning maddeningly, "I was shocked and startled at first...I didn't know I possessed so much power. But once I finally got over the initial surprise, I realized that I enjoyed every second of it. Piermont might get his kicks scaring the piss out of strangers...I get my kicks squeezing every ounce of life out of anyone who dares to think that they have any sort of power or control over me."

The rest of Alpha Company slowly backed away from their Commander, but he didn't seem to notice this, Cynder herself wore a startled expression of disgust and horror.

"Can't say you're wrong," Zinnia replied, "Was the only thing that made me feel strong during my tenure in the LKA. Even while life around me was hell, my place was on the battlefield, that was my comfort zone."

"Well...that and with a dog's dick knotted inside of you," Terrias chuckled.

"Well, yeah...that, too," Zinnia replied, "I'm not gonna deny that."

"Jesus Christ..." Cynder replied, "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

"Same shit that's _been_ wrong with me for as long as you've known me, Cyn," Alex replied, "Now, how we gonna do this? Cause I don't think we can involve _all_ of Alpha in this little adventure of ours."

"I still don't see any reason to _do_ it," Jazz replied, "I, for one, happen to like just sitting around doing jack around here."

"Fine, you do that, but I'm going to school for the lulz, anyone else coming with?"

"I'll go," Terrias replied, "Not like I got anything _better_ to do."

"So will I," Zinnia replied.

"I...guess I can tag along, too..." Cynder replied, "Just...no creepy shit Alex, please? Don't pull any Columbine crap."

"Don't worry...I never reached that point in the past, when life was a living hell. Doubt one day of fucking around in school is gonna bring me to that point, especially since I'm not trapped in those walls. Shit gets too bad, I can leave whenever the fuck I want, nothing's keepin' me there."

"Most people would try to find a way to get _out_ of school," Dash sighed, "And here you are, more than happy to attend when there's no reason to."

"Curious to see if anything has changed much since I was forced to be there. Seems every year the classes are getting worse and worse. Plus, I'm bored as hell."

"You do that but...eh...I think I'll just stay here."

"Whatever, Dash...you're no fun."

"No...I jut don't find school very fun."

"Killjoy."

"Bite me."

"We going human forms?" Terrias asked, "More fun that way."

"Of course," Alex replied with a grin, "And we're gonna purposely act weird to bait out the bitter spite of the students, then you guys can take on your natural forms and we can scare the absolute shit out of everyone around us."

"I can go invisible," Terrias shrugged, "Treat me like an imaginary friend, that'll _really_ get you alienated."

"Yes, I love it. Excellent thinking, mate."

"I don't see how this is 'fun'," Cynder frowned.

"Nobody says you have to tag along," Alex replied, "But I feel like switching shit up for once. I'm tired of S.S.D.D, and I'm in need of a different type of humor."

"You guys ready?" his youngest brother, named Kyle, asked, confused at the plan.

"Rog," Alex replied, popping his neck muscles and hopping onto his feet, "Let's have some fun."

"How are you gonna convince them to let you enroll in the _middle of the freaking year_ , less than two weeks from Christmas Break?" Dash asked, sitting on her haunches in front of the stove.

"Same way Ruby and I infiltrated the dolphin show and convinced everybody I was a trainer the last time we went to the zoo."

Alex and Zinnia entered the school behind Kyle, an invisible Terrias walking alongside the Commander. Both the Commander and his _fianc_ _é_ had altered their appearances using their serum-given abilities, appearing much younger than they actually were. The illusion wasn't able to hide Alex's missing arm, nor his and Zinnia's scars, but the Commander figured this would only help them be the center of 'unwanted' attention from potential bullies, of which the school was apparently full of.

"Just...whatever you do," Kyle sighed, "Don't go full retard, okay? You're still my frikkin' brother, and the school somewhat respects me. Last thing I need is you making _my_ life miserable."

"So, no posing as an autistic douchebag?"

"No."

"Fuck."

"Also, might wanna watch the language, else you'll have the trigger-happy teachers sending you to the office."

"Fine..." Alex grunted, and as they entered the gym, where all students were required to wait until the school bell ring, the Commander merrily whistled the theme of Franz Schubert's _Die Forelle_. Kyle only sighed in response.

 _Where's Cyn?_ Terrias thought to his friend.

"Hell if I know," Alex replied, "She said she had some last-minute things to do, and then she'd be on her way," then, with a sigh, "Well, I can see that at least _some_ rules haven't changed...always found it ridiculous how students had to waste their time in here."

"The teachers here are a-holes," Kyle said, "They'll do whatever they can to ensure that every student is inconvenienced...you'll get used to it. Actually no, you probably won't, because this will _hopefully_ only be a one-day thing."

"What's wrong, bro? Don't want me hanging around with you? Making up for lost time?"

"You're here just to screw around, I have a reputation to keep."

"Bah! Who gives a shit about your reputation...it's your eighth grade year, after this year, you won't have to worry about this school anymore, make the best of it while you can."

"Except that most of these kids are coming with me to high school, and they aren't just going to _forget_ your shenanigans over the summer. I don't need everybody remembering my 'weird brother' who talked to thin air."

 _Hey! I'm right here!_

"Shut up, Terrias..." then, "Where's Cynder? I hope she's not planning anything stupid."

"As I said before, she said she had some things to take care of first, then she'd come over."

Kyle sighed, "I can't believe I let you come with me..."

"Aw, love you, too, bro."

"Screw you."

"You know you love me, admit it."

"Shut up, Alex."

"Hmm...I should have dragged Ruby's ass here."

"Please don't...it's hard enough to explain that I apparently have a retarded brother who's the same year as me and has never been seen before today, and that he just so happened to show up at the same time as his friends. The _last_ thing I need is to have to explain your dumb dolphin girlfriend's presence, too. Plus, I don't think I have the patience to put up with her here, she's too whiny. This is the only time I can get away from her as long as you're here with us."

"You're just picking on me because I'm autistic."

"Don't even joke about that, you're _not_ autistic."

"Actually, I am. Asperger's remember?"

"Whatever, when most people here hear the word 'autistic', they think Rain Man, not Einstein."

" _Bye bye Rain Man!_ "

Kyle punched Alex's shoulder, striking metal and hurting his hand in the process, "Fuck!" Kyle swore, "Ow!"

"Don't have an arm there, remember?" the Commander grunted.

"How am I gonna explain _that!?_ "

"I dunno, I'll think of something."

"You're insane, you know that?"

"What else is new?" Zinnia chuckled.

Once the school bell rang, Alex and Zinnia walked alongside Kyle towards the first hour class—math. "Where the hell is Cyn?" Zinnia asked, "I thought she'd be here by now."

"I dunno, maybe she couldn't figure out what to wear," Alex chuckled.

"Does she even have a human form?"

"Yeah, she just doesn't use it that much. _Everybody_ in Alpha has a human form, but each person possesses a different skill in using it. Some, like Ruby for example, can't hold it for anymore than like half an hour, others, like Piermont, can hold it for days at a time."

"Wait, who's that?" Kyle asked, suddenly stopping in the hall and pointing forward. A girl with light-brown skin, long, straight-black hair that stretched down to her rear, and large brown eyes approached them. She wore a black miniskirt and a black tank-top, with C-cup breasts, and long, smooth legs ending in red and white tennis shoes.

Alex whistled, "Holy shit, Cyn...digging the new look."

"How do I look?" she asked, casting the Commander a mischievous grin.

"Fucking _sexy_ , man! Wouldn't mind a piece of _that_!"

"Neither would I," Zinnia laughed.

"Well, I might be able to pull this form out next time you and I decide to have a bit of fun...if Zinnia's okay with it, of course."

"Only if you let me join," the French girl replied.

Cynder winked, "Sounds fair."

"I..." Kyle sighed, "I can't believe we're doing this."

"You've said that," Alex replied, "God _damn_ , Cyn, you are serious eye candy."

"Thought you'd like it," she replied, "Was worried it'd be too much, to be honest."

"Nah...I like it. Fucking _sexy_."

"Okay, c'mon guys...please? Can't we stop with the creepy talk?"

"What's wrong Kai?" Alex asked, "T.M.I?"

"First of all, _don't_ call me 'Kai', and second of all, can you go _one_ day without being some sex-addicted creep?"

"Hey! I take offense to that!"

"You should! Who in the world thinks it's okay to have sex with a _dragon_ and a freakin' _dolphin_!?"

"There's Dash, too..."

"I don't want to hear it! Can we just...get to class now?"

"Sheesh, _somebody_ 's in a mood."

"I just think this whole adventure is stupid and an utter waste of time. Why can't you go home and _stay_ there? And don't you _dare_ give me that whole 'I just wanna hang out with my little bro' B.S, because that's utter crap and you know it!"

"But I just wanna hang out with my little bro," Alex said, grinning widely.

"I hate you."

"Love you, too, Kai."

As it turned out, it wasn't too hard to irritate the teachers and students. Alex also didn't mind annoying them either, most of the teachers he had when he was in class were no longer there, having either retired to moved on to other places, and the ones here now barely had any knowledge over their topics, were highly arrogant, and most annoying of all, politically correct. It wasn't hard to irritate them, and Alex took great advantage of this, laughing and publicly chatting with the still-invisible Terrias in the middle of the lesson. Several times the lecture had paused while the teacher, a young woman, seemingly fresh out of college, glared at the Commander. The others were doing other things to spite her, too. While Alex conversed with Terrias over the usual, random conversations, Zinnia browsed the Internet on her phone, ignoring the lesson, and Cynder leaned back in her seat, legs crossed on the desk before her, chewing gum. Even more amusing, the teacher refused to do or say anything, Alex assumed out of fear of repercussion from some angry, easy-to-offend parents.

Nearly untouchable, Alex continued pushing her patience, curious to see how long it took to get her to snap. He purposely acted as if he was just out of special ed, offensively imitating an autistic child he knew when he was in high school many years earlier. As his conversations with Terrias always seemed to do, it didn't take long before their casual chatter devolved into double entendres and implied sexual activities, and it was as this point where the teacher finally called him out. "I don't know what's going on kid, but would you please stop? Or I'll have to send you to the office."

"B-But t-t-t-teacher, it's T-T-Terrias' fault."

Kyle only sighed, rubbing his face in the palm of his hand.

"The things you're talking about are rude and inappropriate, and it's offensive."

Alex grinned, "D-D-Does it t-t-t-trigger you?"

"Okay, that's it! I've had enough, leave! Now!"

"B-B-B-But..."

"Now!"

His office trip didn't last long, however, as, after explaining what was happening, he was allowed to return to class with a soft, patient warning not to talk about such things. The teacher did not take too kindly to this, and upon entering the room, Alex could see that already some of the students, ones who _looked_ like they could be bullies, gave him a derisive snare. "It's w-w-w-working, T-T-T-Terrias! They're b-b-b-believing me!"

"Dustin, be quiet!" the teacher hissed, her patience finally having run thin, "This is my last warning!"

"Yo, teach!" Cynder began, "The kid's retarded, how 'bout ya give 'em some slack, huh?"

"Please stay out of this Krystal."

"Bah!" the human-form dragoness scowled.

As the day continued on, Alex slipped more and more out of the act, deciding it was too bothersome to keep going at it as hard as he had been. By the time gym came around, his speech was mostly normal, he had even, accidentally, let a few swears go. The damage from his first impression seemed to have been done already, because despite his return to normal manners of speech and actions, the class' bullies had already found their new target.

In gym, Alex undressed, getting into the workout clothes he had brought with him. The bullies stood behind him, laughing and snickering at the scars along his back and stomach, countless in number from years of battle, and a few even mocked his bionic arm. "Y'know, didn't anybody ever tell you not to make fun of a deformed guy?" Alex chuckled darkly.

"Shut up, retard, we weren't talking about you."

"I'm offended!" the Commander feigned, "Ah, oh well. Play nice children."

"Who the fuck are you calling a children?" one of the bullies began, a redneck type, reeking of alcohol and body odor, pinning Alex up against the lockers with an arm on his throat.

Alex laughed, between breaths, "First of all, ya may want to grab a dictionary...or a thesaurus. Children is plural, not singular. Second of all, am I supposed to be scared? Is this supposed to be scary?" then, "Or maybe twenty years of combat experience just mellows a guy out."

"Shut up, punk or I'll beat the shit out of your queer ass!"

"Ah, this one sees that the insults and threats haven't changed in ten years," then, choking for breath, "Uh...Terrias, you mind giving me a helping hand?"

"Sure," the servine replied, standing behind and startling the bully. Although the Pokemon was still invisible, he gut-punched the boy in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

The Commander dropped to the ground soon after, rubbing his neck, "Ya know, that kinda hurts...thanks for the help, Terrias."

 _No problem_ , the unseen servine replied, and Alex finished dressing himself, walking upstairs into the gym to find the class already sitting on the front row bleachers, waiting for roll to be taken. Alex took his seat between Cynder and Zinnia, asking, "So how are you two, lovely ladies doing?"

"We decided we're gonna have a little fun tonight," the dragoness chuckled.

"You bi, Zinnia?" Alex asked in a light-hearted manner, "I never knew."

"I like animals."

"Right..."

"But she will stay in her human form through it."

"Kinky, can I join?"

"No, girls' night only," Zinnia replied smugly.

"Damn it."

"Don't worry, Alex," Cynder said, kissing his cheek, "I'll come for you after I'm done with her."

"Human form?"

"Yes," the she-dragon chuckled, "Human form."

"I thought you weren't attracted to humans, Alex?" Zinnia laughed.

"I'm normally not," the Commander replied, "But Cynder is...hot."

"Looks of a human, kinks of an animal?" Zinnia grinned.

"You know it," Cynder replied, "Wild sex is best sex."

That day, they were playing dodgebal, with the teams split as boys versus girls, and after a brief conversation with Zinnia and Cynder, the Commander decided, along with his comrades, to try and lose the matches, bring their teams down for a last-minute comeback. The first two matches, Alex did everything he could to sabotage the game, irritating his teammates, while Cynder and Zinnia ended up being the first ones to have to sit out of the game, allowing themselves to get hit. During the third and final match of the day, the Commander switched tactics, playing seriously, and ended up being the last one left standing in his team. With Cynder and Zinnia having brought down the rest of his team, one or both of them would need to be knocked out before the rest of his team could come back, so wearing a wide grin, Alex found himself face-to-face, alone, against the _entire_ girl's team.

"You better not screw this up, Dustin!" one of his teammates exclaimed.

"Of course he's gonna mess it up, the guy's an idiot," another one of his teammates said.

The Commander, ignoring them, stood still in the center of the arena, casually stepping out of the way of stray balls, taking his time to return fire. Each hit connected, and within ten minutes, it was Alex standing off against Cynder and Zinnia. Deciding his team didn't _need_ to win, Alex threw the game for him, throwing balls at the two girls to purposely miss. The girls did likewise, and by the time they ran out of time, _both_ teams were furious at the now-obvious sabotage.

"What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?" one of the boys—the captain of the middle school football team—hissed, confronting Alex in the locker room.

"It's just a game," Alex replied, "Lighten up, sweetheart," and he pinched the larger boy's cheeks.

The captain shoved him back, slamming him against the lockers, and the Commander laughed, "Oh, so you wanna play, eh?"

Two other boys joined him, the captain's friends, and Alex popped his neck, standing tall and erect, "C'mon, three on one? That's not fair."

Another boy shoved him into the locker, and Alex stood straight once again, "All right then, if that's the way you want it to be..." and the Commander snapped his fingers. Instantly, Terrias shimmered into visbility beside him, startling the others, and Alex added, "Two on three!"

The servine fluidly slithered towards them, effortlessly swiping his tail beneath the feet of the captain's two friends before slithering back to the Commander's side. "One on two!" Terrias said, "Seems more fair, don't you think, Alex?"

"Roger that."

"Who the fuck _are_ you?" the captain exclaimed, falling back and tripping on the bench.

"Someone who's got every sorry sucker in this school fooled, I'm pretty damn proud of myself. See you motherfuckers around," Alex laughed, and Terrrias became invisible once more as the duo returned upstairs, once again joining Cynder and Zinnia, "Aww, I was hoping I'd walk in to see you two kissing."

"Sorry, hon," Cynder grinned, "Maybe next time."

"So...can I at least _watch_ you two go at it?"

"No," Zinnia replied with a grin, "Girls only."

"Man, you guys are no fun."

Just then, Zinnia grab Cynder by the collar of her shirt, planting a kiss firmly on her lips, "There, that better?" the French girl asked.

Alex nodded, "Yes, thanks luv."

After school, walking back home, Kyle seemed furious, "Never again."

"What's wrong, Kai?" Alex asked, "I thought it was a raging success."

"You guys screwed up everything! Now I'm gonna have every student in the freaking school hating me for God knows how long."

"Chill out, it was all in good fun," Terrias said, now visible.

"Good fun? Good fun!? You turned the bullies' attentions on _me_! I managed to stay away from them, and here you asshoels are, putting the spotlight on _me_! _You_ don't have to put up with them every day!"

"I thought it was fun," Zinnia said.

"It wasn't _fun_! It was humiliating and irritating! Never again!"

"Fine," Alex snorted, "Killjoy."

"So..." Terrias began, "Now what are we gonna do?"

"I don't care _what_ you do!" Kyle hissed, "But I'm not bringing you with me again!"


	31. Chapter XXX: Hell on Earth

_**Chapter XXX**_ **:**

 **-''Hell on Earth''-**

 **-Vermilion, Illinois-**

 **- _14 December 2016_ -**

 **- _0948 Hours_ -**

Alex, sleeping on the couch, was roused from his sleep by the smell of freshly-cooked breakfast. With a groan, he sat up, blinking away the sleep and returning to his senses. In the adjacent kitchen, he could hear his parents talking above the sizzle of bacon, and he climbed out of bed, skirting his sleeping comrades to make his way towards the kitchen. "Something smells good," the Commander yawned.

"Decided to make a big breakfast," his father responded, "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as I could, I suppose."

"Any nightmares?"

"No, thankfully."

While he waited for the bacon in the skillet to fry, Alex's father peered out the window at the dark skies outside, "Forecast says we're supposed to get a nasty thunderstorm today...we might lose power."

"Rain? In the middle of December?"

"Weather's been unusually warm so far this winter."

"Y'know, I'm actually okay with that, I hate the cold."

"I'd imagine you'd be pretty tired of it, especially living in Skyrim for the past year."

"Yeah, exactly. We never had a summer, so I'm gonna to see some moderate weather...a nice break."

"When's the wedding?" his mother asked.

"What? Oh, I dunno...you'll have to ask Zinnia, that's entirely up to her."

"Gonna wait till the last minute again?"

The Commander glared at her, and his father sighed, "Honey, don't start, please. Can't we enjoy a nice family vacation?"

Ignoring her, Alex continued, "So, what's all for breakfast?"

"Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast...making a big breakfast, figured your brothers-in-arms would like that."

"I'm sure they will. Zaz spoiled us in Skyrim."

"You mean that demon boy?"

"Yes, you have a problem with him, too?" Alex challenged, waiting for his mother to respond. Instead, she didn't, only returned to cutting vegetables for the omelets, "You know, I have a question...what exactly will it take to please you? Seems nothing will lift this ridiculous grudge you have on me," he growled.

"Alex...don't start," his father warned.

"No, I really wanna know. Figured you'd be absolutely _thrilled_ that Ruby and I are no longer together, now that I'm engaged to a pretty girl."

It was here that his mother dropped the bitter truth, "You want to know _why_ I'm not happy?"

"Yes, actually," Alex replied.

"Guys..." his father warned, once more ignored.

"I _still_ don't forgive you for whoring yourself out to those...animals."

"Yeah? And I _still_ don't forgive you for giving up the search for me after Plastro captured me, so I guess we're even."

"That wasn't my choice," she hissed.

"Yeah? And you just expected me to come out _completely_ normal after the shit I went through?"

"You know how I _know_ that you know how crude and inappropriate what you did really was?"

"Enlighten me, mommy dearest."

"The fact that you _acknowledge_ that what you did was wrong and warped. It does very little to help your case. You knew from the start that doing that was perverted, and yet you did it anyway, like you don't care!"

"You're damn right I didn't care! Hell, I _still_ don't! The only reason I'm not fucking my hot, pregnant dolphin in the other room right _now_ is because I have the law after my ass! Is _that_ what you want to hear?"

"Stop! Right now!" his father exclaimed, "You two need to get along!"

"Don't _tell_ me what to do!" Alex's mother hissed.

"He's your son! He's already acknowledged what he did was wrong, and they're not doing it anymore."

"No, she's _not_ my mother," Alex hissed, "In fact, I've half a mind to go balls deep in either Ruby and Cynder right now, just to piss you off."

"Stop! Now this is supposed to be a family occasion! I won't have you two trading punches in here!"

"You know, you're a horrible fucking mother. I wish _you_ would have fucking died instead of Elliot."

A dark silence fell over the room, and his father merely looked away, knowing that the fight was lost. His mother adopted a grim, betrayed, and offended expression, "If that's how you feel about me, then fine."

"That's _exactly_ how I feel about you," Alex growled, "Because you've done nothing but treat me like absolute shit since you found out about my mates. What I do with my life is my own goddamn business, and you can't sit there and lament that I was brought up in sin when _you weren't even there for me!_ You didn't raise me! Elliot was my parent if anyone else was, all while the two of you just washed your hands of me and pretended I didn't exist!"

"I know," his father said, "And I regret that every single day."

"Well, I guess it's too damn bad that it's too late to do anything now, huh?"

Breakfast was served soon after, and it didn't take long before the rest of Alpha Company had woke and joined the Commander at the table. While they ate, there was a heavy knocking on the door, and the Commander's father stood to answer the door. "Oh! What a surprise," Alex's father said to the unseen guests, "It's been too long! They're already here, come on in, I just made breakfast."

Looking up from his meal, Alex turned to see who entered the kitchen, and his heart sank. Piermont and Spyro, flanked by Sonic and Nala, leaned in the doorway, the mad dragon giving Alex a sly smile, "Ali! Think you forgot about someone, eh?"

"Piermont..." Alex began, tone somber, he could tell that the dragon was putting on a facade, attempting to make everything look good, only to appeal to his family. The dragon hadn't changed, and just seeing how the human-form dragon's angry emerald eye stared accusingly at Ruby—equally shocked and uncomfortable—told him everything. Alex reflexively reached for where the holster of his Desert Eagle normally hanged at his waist, only to find it gone, and he remembered that it was still in the living room, resting beneath the couch.

 _Shit..._ the Commander thought to himself, _We're in trouble_.

"So, Alex," his mother began, interrupting his train of thought, "When's your wedding?"

"Yes, when _is_ your wedding?" Spyro asked, "When are you and Zinnia gonna tie the knot? You haven't told anyone."

Alex watched as Ruby frowned, shifting uncomfortably and awkwardly looking away, desperately trying not to show emotion.

"Looking forward to a life of monogamy?" Piermont grinned maddeningly, and the Commander could see the dolphin appearing anxious and uncomfortable...but there was something else, as well.

"We-we-we haven't...uh... _exactly_ settled on a date just yet," Zinnia said, "We're still planning things..."

"Have you decided who your best man is going to be?" Alex's father asked.

"I am," Terrias replied.

"How nice."

"Is it going to be private or public?" his mother asked.

"We haven't decided yet, Mrs. Vaughn, although we tossed around the idea of a small, little private wedding, figured it'd be easier to handle. Cheaper, too."

At last, Ruby stood up, hurrying out of the room and into the hallway. Distantly, they could hear the sliding glass door in Alex's parents' bedroom, leading into the backyard, slam shut, and casting awkward glances with each other, Zinnia stood up in her seat. "I'm going to...uh...check on Ruby, see if everything's okay."

While Alex watched her go, turning to find himself under interrogation from his parents again over his impending wedding, Kira stood at the sidelines, having finished eating, leaning against the wall and eyeing where Ruby and Zinnia had gone. She said nothing, made no attempt to move, only watched Zinnia disappear around the corner.

"Ruby? What's wrong?" the French girl asked, slipping outside to find the dolphin leaning against the balcony, in tears.

"I screwed up..." she replied, "I ruined _everything_..."

"What are you talking about? What's been up with you lately?"

"Cynder's right, I should have told him when I had the chance..."

"Hey, _listen_ to me," and Zinnia turned the dolphin around to face her, "What's wrong? What did you do?"

"It doesn't matter," the dolphin chocked, "It's too late now..."

"It's _never_ too late, now tell me, what's wrong? What should you have told him?"

Silence fell between them, and Ruby turned around to face the expansive backyard, facing east, "I should have told him what is going to happen to me once this child is born..." and she gently placed a fin against her belly, fighting back tears again.

"Which is...what?"

"I made a deal...with the angels. I would carry the child to term...but in return, I would become fully human..." her voice trailed, "That way, we could get married, and we would be able to have a big family. But now he's..." silence for a few moments, "Now _you_ are going to marry him instead...I was foolish, I didn't tell him what my plan was...I was trying to make it a surprise. I should have listened to Cynder...I should have told him...maybe I would have still had a chance...maybe he still would have loved me."

Zinnia was horrified, embarrassed, and she felt sick to her stomach, she found herself speechless, unable to form any words to explain how she felt.

"I sacrificed... _everything_...for this...for the opportunity to marry my Alex...and instead, I've ruined our relationship beyond repair. Damn it..."

Zinnia slowly backed away, still horrified by Ruby's admission. Stunned speechless, she hurried back inside, slipping into the kitchen, unnoticed by all but Alex. "Everything okay?" he whispered to her.

"I'll be fine..." she replied, overwhelmed with guilt.

"And Ruby?"

"She'll be fine, too..."

From her position, leaning against the wall, Kira watched the two converse, saying nothing, a blank expression on her face. Finally, the harpy left the room, disappearing into the hallway, her absence unnoticed by all.

" _You lied to me..._ "

Ruby stood near the train tracks running behind the Commander's house, staring towards the sky as a light rain began to trickle from the heavens. Thunder bellowed, lightning flashed, and the storage yard she stood in was completely empty and vacant.

"I did everything you said...and you _LIED_ to me!" she hissed to the sky, "You knew didn't you? You knew from the start! You _KNEW_ this would happen!" she cried, succumbing to a fresh wave of tears, "You _knew_ they would get together, that they would marry each other. You _knew_ that Alex would move on from me, and you _knew_ that I would lose him...even after you promised me that my wish could be fulfilled. You _knew_ and you bastards played me like a fool! I threw away _everything_ for this child so that I could finally be with Alex, so we could finally be together...and you just sat there and laughed!" she picked up a rusty, discarded railroad spike, examining it closely, "You put me through all that pain and suffering so you could have this child, you used me, lied to me, promised me that my dreams would come true if I did this for you...all while you knew how it would all end. I _refuse_ to be used! I _refuse_ to let you get away with this! If I can't have my Alex, _you_ won't have this child!" she raised the spike above her head, in tears, "Son...forgive me..." and with a scream, she brought the object down, punching through her abdomen and stabbing herself in the chest. She cried in pain, collapsing to the muddy drive as blood began to pool around her, running down the driveway and gathering in a puddle on the street. The spike embedded deep within her stomach, Ruby lay there, curled into a ball, sobbing hysterically and uncontrollably, waiting for the telepathic connection she had treasured and meticulously developed with her unborn child to fade into oblivion, waiting for the child to surrender its life.

As she laid there, bleeding heavily, she instantly regretted her action, beginning to plead for the child's survival, pleading for a chance for things to finally turn out right. Before too long, she had lost so much blood that she was feeling numb and faint...yet the child in her womb remained alive...it seemed he would live longer than his mother.

 _Alex doesn't care about me_... her feverish thoughts lamented, _He doesn't love me anymore...I ruined everything we had, I destroyed everything we had fostered and created. And now, I've killed my own child..._

"Coward!" a voice hissed harshly, rousing Ruby from the edge of unconsciousness, and she weakly turned to see Kira standing in the middle of he road. Rain poured down from the heavens now, all sound was lost to the downpour, and the harpy approached the dying dolphin.

"Leave me be, Kira..." Ruby said, "The angels played me like a fool, I've lost my Alex."

"And killing yourself is the answer? You're fucking pathetic! A coward!"

"If I can't have Alex, the angels will not have my child!"

"Listen to me, you ungrateful bitch!" Kira roared, "You don't think I hurt every day? Harpies mate for life, I still love Alex, and we will never be together again. You know what? I sucked it up and realized that there's more to life than sex and love. He may be moving on, settling with his own kind, but at least he still loves you! The same can't be said for me, but do you see me moping about and lamenting the loss? No! Stop being such a pussy and grow a pair! Trying to murder your own child to stick to the angels? Are you stupid!?"

"Leave me alone..." the dolphin replied.

"Not until you grow up and stop acting like a whiny, pissy bitch! You're better than this!" and Kira crouched beside the dolphin, tearing the spike free from her abdomen and healing the wound.

"You don't understand how I feel. How I've been betrayed..."

"Oh, I do. I know the feeling all to well. Now, you've spent the last twelve months taking care of this kid, ensuring he remained healthy so he could have a chance to live, and I _know_ that you didn't do that just because some fucking promise an overgrown, self-righteous harpy made you. You love this child, you care about it, and it's probably the last thing that remains of the love you and Alex have shared over the years. Instead of throwing it away, take _care_ of it! Someday it'll be all you have left of him..." Kira's voice broke, "That's more than what can be said for me...he gave you something special...a gift, and all you want to do is throw it away to get revenge on the fucking angels."

"You...you're right..." the dolphin sighed, sniffling against a fresh wave of tears, and she suddenly cried out, doubling over in pain.

"Ruby?" Kira asked, instantly running to her side.

"It...hurts..." the dolphin cried.

" _What_ hurts?"

"My stomach...it feels like I'm going to explode..."

"What? I..." and as Kira pulled her arm away from beneath the dolphin, her heart sank at the sight of the blood staining her claws, "Oh no..." the harpy gently rolled Ruby onto her side, and chills shot up the harpy's spine at the sight of her lower belly, stained in blood. Her genital slit was swollen open, her belly was rock-hard, her nipples, fully erect, had begun to lactate, and a tiny, coal-black point protruded from her vagina.

"ALEX!" Kira exclaimed, shoving open the front door, Ruby hanging onto her for support.

"What's going on?" the Commander asked, suddenly standing up from the table.

"She's going into labor!"

" _What!?_ " and Alpha Company leaped into action.

"Somebody get into the bathroom, run some warm bathwater! Alex, help me get her in there!"

By now, the tip of the calf's tail was poking out of Ruby's lower belly, and the dolphin was barely able to move against the pain. Plugging the bathtub's drain and running warm water into the tub, the Commander stood aside while Kira gently dragged the dolphin into the room, helping her into the tub. "The hell do I do?" Alex asked.

"Stay with me," Kira hissed, "She might need help if there's any complications!"

In the living room, sitting on the couch, Piermont observed the events going on with a cold expression and a dark smile. In the chaos, he slipped outside, his followers in tail, leading them across the street to the school's playground. "Listen up!" the dragon began, addressing his team, "The whore has gone into labor, meaning the child is being born as we speak."

He gently stroked the wooden stock of the rifle he carried, stolen from Alex's father.

"This is our last chance to put an end to the nightmare and kill Deitus before he can be returned to this damned planet! It's time we stop playing subtle, it's time _we_ put an end to that fucking child. They won't see us coming in the chaos...we can take advantage of this..." he raised his stubbed arm in salute, "Move out! All targets are hostile, take no prisoners! Kill the child, no matter the cost!"

With a grin, Piermont watched as his followers roared in approval and charged towards the house, ready to attack.

Jazz and Rapid conversed casually, unsuspecting of Piermont's plot, not even noticing Nala and Spyro racing towards them. As the rabbit stepped outside to light a cigar, the lioness leaped out of the bushes nearby, tackling him to the ground and snapping towards his throat. Rapid instantly jumped into action, protecting his face as Spyro charged into his chest, lifting him into the air and slamming him back down into the ground.

"What the... _hell_!?" Jazz hissed, punching Nala's face with enough force to daze her before quickly scrambling onto his feet, "What the _fuck_ is going on!?"

"Look out!" Eli cried, and Jazz, again, was tackled, this time from behind, by Sonic, who began to lay relentlessly into him. Nala thus turned her attention towards Eli, attempting to overthrow and overpower him.

Zinnia rushed outside to help, but Jazz shoved her back, restraining Sonic, "Go warn, Alex! Looks like Piermont's launching his _coup_!"

"Got it," the French girl replied, rushing back into the house, only to be attacked by Spyro, and beat into unconsciousness.

"Spyro!" Cynder exclaimed, charging into him and knocking him to the side, "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

The enraged purple dragon responded by slashing at her stomach, breaking her guard and casually throwing her aside. "Don't let _anyone_ get in the way!" Spyro roared, "Make your way to the bathroom! We need to kill that child before it has a chance to be born!"

"You...you're a _monster_ ," Cynder coughed.

"Fuck you," the dragon replied, smacking his tail against her head with enough force to knock her unconscious.

There was a light knocking on the bathroom door, and Alex, wrapping his bloody hands around the calf's pitch-black tail fins to gently pull against Ruby's pushing, called for the visitor to enter. Kira slipped inside, hurrying over to him and whispering, out of Ruby's range of hearing, even though it was highly unlikely she was paying attention against the strenuous activity she was currently involved again, "Piermont's launched an attempted _coup_ , he will stop at _nothing_ to get in here...and he's cleaving through Alpha Company on his approach. We'll hold him off, but you may want to keep Ruby away from the mind bank...some of us may not get out of this alive..."

Alex felt his heart sink, but he controlled his emotions, only nodding, "Do what you need to."

"We won't let him in...I promise."

The initial line of defense ambushed and neutralized, Spyro, Nala, and Sonic continued into the house, making their way into the bathroom, only to be confronted by the _second_ wave of defenders. Rocket and Scarlet both launched out of the shadows, pouncing upon Spyro and Nala respectively, struggling with the rogue soldiers. Sapphire appeared behind them, grabbing the flailing Spyro and hydrokinetically slamming him into the wall, subduing and incapacitating the dragon. Nala launched towards him, knocking him towards the ground and snapping at his neck. Several shots rang through the air, one poisoned, shotgun bullet tearing through Nala's skull in a cloud of blood and gore. Her head nearly decimated by the close-range shot, Sapphire tossed the body off, and turned towards the two creatures, "What is happening?"

"Hell I..." but Rocket's response was caught off guard as a flashbang grenade exploded nearby, blinding and incapacitating them. Upon Rocket's recovery—Sonic clubbed him with a wrench, beating him nearly to death. Scarlet jumped to his defense, but she was knocked aside by the hedgehog, struck _twice_ in the head with the weapon. As he moved to bring down the wrench again, Kira appeared behind him, wrapping her hands around his neck and forcing him to the ground, pinning him down. The maddened hedgehog struggled against the harpy's restraining grasp, but soon fell still. She climbed off of him, returning to her defensive position at the door. Scarlet, her wounds slowly healing, retrieved the dropped weapon, beating at the hedgehog's head relentlessly until all that remained was an unrecognizable, gory mess. Only once her rage had subsided did she drop the weapon, running to the unconscious Rocket's side, cradling his bleeding head.

"God _DAMN_ it!" Piermont roared, replacing his binoculars and retrieving his rifle, "As the saying goes, if you want something done, might as well do it yourself."

"Piermont!" Aria roared, approaching the dragon as he stormed towards the house. Never breaking his stride, he knocked her to the ground with his pyrokinesis, knocking her out of the battle with several hardy smashes from the butt of his rifle. Terrias, lingering at the back of the crowd, having joined Piermont for his speech, only observed the carnage going on around him with a blank expression. Upon seeing Aria laying unconscious to the side, he hurried towards her, crouching beside her and examining her body for signs of life. Relieved to find she was still breathing, the servine glared towards the human-form dragon, baring his fangs in anger.

"Pierre! Stop this!" Rapid suddenly exclaimed, standing between the dragon and the house's front door, holding the human-form dragon at gunpoint.

"Now, now, Reverend, I thought you didn't like killing people?" the dragon taunted, laughing maniacally.

"After what you did, I won't lose any sleep tonight!"

"Oh honey, I'm just getting started..." and the dragon withdrew two blades from his waist, twirling them in his hands and running towards the skunk. Rapid blocked the attack, holding his arm against the dragon, even while Piermont hacked and sliced at his muscular arms repeatedly. Blood rained into the skunk's eyes as he protected his face from the maddened dragon's attack, but he finally managed to summon enough strength to take advantage of Piermont's exhausted stamina and shove him back, knocking him to the ground with a hardy kick to the chest. Rapid stood over him, aiming a Desert Eagle at the dragon's head.

"Don't make me do this, Pierre...I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you leave me no choice."

"You're _weak_!" Piermont snarled, kicking the skunk in the crotch and swinging back onto his feet, lunging forward. He wrapped one hand around the skunk's throat, using the other to shove him to the ground and pin him in place. Rapid fought back against the dragon's restraining grasp, but Piermont proved stronger than he, and the human-form dragon revealed one of his knives again, stabbing towards the skunk's head. Rapid kicked him in the stomach to dislodge him before climbing back onto his feet, charging towards the dragon. Piermont evaded the blows, countering with slashes from his knife. Rapid dodged these attacks, trying to find a way to take advantage of the dragon's aggressive stance to turn the battle in his favor. Instead, Piermont kicked him in the chest, knocking the skunk to the ground. While Rapid recovered his breath, Piermont stood over him, twirling one knife before jamming it to the hilt in the skunk's head, breaking off the shaft and punching the skunk's head repeatedly with the broken handle. Once the skunk was out, he tossed the useless weapon aside, popping his neck and continuing his approach towards the house, saying, "Sorry, Rev, but that's what you get for getting in my way."

Lightning flashed in the sky at the edge of the front yard, several streaks striking the street consecutively and attracting the attention of the few members of Alpha still in the battle. Suddenly, shadowed, skeletal arms punched through the ground, and _Filios Diaboli_ shadow-knights clawed their way out of the ground, approaching the house. "You've _got_ to be fucking kidding me..." Jazz hissed, readying himself for battle.

"The hell do we do?" Scarlet asked.

"The hell do you think?" Eli hissed, withdrawing his pistol and loading a clip of incendiary rounds into it, "We hold our ground."

Nick suddenly appeared beside them, the Power Keeper drawing _Soulreaper_ and preparing to strike, "These guys don't stand a chance!"

In a flash of light, startling the dwindling remainder of Alpha Company, the Omniversals appeared beside them, and Synthia grinned towards them, casually nocking an arrow into Auriel's Bow and firing it into the nearest shadow-knight. Instantly, the creature burst into flames, incinerating into ash.

"Omniversals?" Jazz hissed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We're here to help," Synthia replied, "Now, are you just going to stand there or are you going to fight?"

Piermont whistled a cheerful tune as he strolled through the busted-open front door into the dark house beyond. Alex's family stood around, unsure of what exactly to do in the chaos. Saying nothing, the dragon took out his handgun, firing shots into the legs of each member of the family he encountered. Upon stepping into the hallway leading towards the bathroom, Kira launched out of the shadows, tackling him to the ground and laying into him. Piermont bitterly fought back, slowly managing to gain the advantage in the fight before finally dislodging and tossing the harpy to the side. Climbing onto his feet, Piermont fired two more shots from his pistol, one into each of the harpy princess' legs. She tried to stand, collapsing once more onto the floor, and the dragon pressed his boot against the girl's throat, "Now, you stay down there. If you stand up, the next one is going into your fucking head, got it?"

The dragon approached the bathroom door, kicking it open and charging into the room beyond. Immediately, Alex lunged at the human-form dragon, but in a swift, fluid motion, the dragon thrust his poisoned dagger deep into the Commander's stomach, pulling Alex's head close and whispering into his ear, "You will soon know the pain that your son put me through," before tearing the knife free and throwing Alex to the side. Dash moved to attack, but Piermont struck her in the head, smashing her face into the bathroom mirror and knocking the pegasus out. Azazel straightened, but the dragon turned his gun towards the boy, saying, "You move, you're dead!"

The last three foes between him and his target neutralized, Piermont stood by the side of the tub, looking down into it. Ruby lay in the shallow water, now colored red with blood. She was exhausted, barely conscious, and a tiny, black form swam around her, growing still around her lower belly and beginning to nurse. Upon seeing the dragon, Ruby positioned herself in such a way so as to stand between the dragon and her son, and Piermont placed the barrel of his rifle against her head.

"Please..." the dolphin pleaded, "He's just a child..."

"Your child killed my mate," Piermont snarled, "A favor that I will soon return."

"He's innocent..."

"No, his sins are great and beyond one lifetime, the only way to redeem himself is to die."

"Condemning him to death won't bring Cherub back! Please, Piermont, you don't have to do this...you don't have to hurt us. You can walk away, leave us alone, we won't hurt you."

"The damage is already done you _bitch_ ," Piermont hissed, "The only path to salvation is death! Steer clear of the child, or I will kill you _both_."

"I won't let you hurt him...he's innocent...he's just a child!" Ruby cried, "Please...don't hurt him, I will do anything, _anything_ if you will let him live!"

"You can only blame yourself for being in this situation. I gave you the option to let me take the child before your connection with the beast could ever be formed...but you refused, you evaded me, and you were determined to carry the child to term. You can only blame yourself for this child's death!"

"Please...don't do this, Piermont. You're better than this."

"For Cherub..." the dragon began, preparing to pull the trigger, "I will paint the walls in your blood, and then I will sacrifice your child in much the same manner!"

Just then, Terrias appeared behind the dragon, punching him squarely in the face, wrapping his arm around the human-form dragon's throat, and thrusting his _own_ knife into the dragon's back.

" _What!?_ " the dragon snarled through clenched teeth as Terrias dragged him out of the bathroom and back towards the living room. He pulled the dragon out of the house, tossing the wounded beast to the rainsoaked sidewalk outside, Piermont landing clumsily on his side, accompanied by a bright flash of lightning that struck the street nearby. "TRAITOR!" Piermont roared, clambering onto his feet, "You will pay for this!"

"I won't let you hurt Ruby or that kid. The only traitor is _you_ , Pierre."

"I will _kill_ you!" the dragon roared, taking on his natural form again and booming a hellish roar into the skies, "Prepare to _die_ , you cunt!"

Lowering his head like a bull, Piermont charged towards the servine, who leaped and rolled out of the charge, countering by summoning several earthen pillars from the ground, enclosing around the dragon's feet and pulling him down. The dragon tore free from the restraints, swiping his tail to the side, connecting with Terrias' back and throwing the servine forward. The dragon took to the wing then, opening his emerald maw and spewing a tongue of white fire towards Terrias. Again, the servine rolled to the side to avoid the charge, using his terrakinesis to rapidly throw razor-sharp, earthen darts towards the dragon like a machine gun. Even as the shrapnel toward the dragon's wings to shreds, he remained in the air, healing his wounds faster than the servine could deal them.

Terrias continued pestering the dragon, enraging him and further making Piermont's attacks more sporadic and disorganized. The dragon flew swiftly towards Terrias, opening his maw to spew fire once more. The servine evaded the attack, taking notice as Piermont struggled to level off his descent before he crashed into the ground. Using this strategy, the servine baited this attack from the dragon, doing everything in his power to further anger Piermont. The angrier the dragon became, the deadlier and more random his attacks became, the more unpredictable his behavior evolved, but also the more he exposed himself to attack. Eventually, he flew as swiftly as he could towards Terrias, swearing and snarling towards the servine. Terrias himself stood in place, holding his ground and waiting for the moment to dodge...too soon and Piermont would catch himself or readjust his flight, too late and the servine would be little more than a red smear on the grass and sidewalk. Once his moment arrived, Terrias leaped forward, and Piermont flailed about, struggling to right his course before he crashed at full speed into the ground, sliding to a stop and creating a deep trench in the yard. He clumsily picked himself up, turning to face the servine again, and Terrias was sickened to see that most of the dragon's face and belly had been skinned in the crash. He opened his maw, preparing to flame, but Terrias ran towards the dragon, clambering onto his back.

"Terrias!" Cynder exclaimed, "Take this!" and she tossed a syringe towards the servine before rejoining the battle against _Filios Diaboli_ , slowly making headway towards the house, completely ignoring the fight occurring between Piermont and Terrias. The servine caught the syringe, biting off the cap and jamming it into the forest dragon's throat, emptying its contents into the dragon's bloodstream. Piermont cried out in pain as his system was overloaded by the dangerously high and concentrated dose of the serum, his body forcefully adopting his human form, leaving him unable to turn back.

" _What_!?" Piermont hissed, his injuries healing alarmingly fast from the overloaded dosage, "What did you do to me, you cunt!"

"The same thing you did to Ruby in the asylum, you prick!" the servine roared.

"I will fucking _KILL YOU_!" the dragon roared, charging towards Terrias. The servine evaded the attack, countering with a pillar of rock that he summoned from the ground behind him, smashing into the human-form dragon's jaw and knocking him back. As Terrias turned to face Piermont, the dragon summoned a whip of fire from the air, swiping it across the servine's face and chest and knocking him onto his back. The human-form dragon then pounced upon the servine, beating him relentlessly before tearing his dagger from the sheathe at his waist and pressing it against Terrias' throat, hard enough to draw blood.

Piermont chuckled, "Shh...shh...it's okay, it's okay. It'll all be over soon enough."

"You're a monster!" Terrias managed.

"A subjective term," the dragon grinned maddeningly, "I'm only going to cut out your tongue first, then your dick, then your eye, and then it'll all be over...just play along."

Terrias resisted, cussing the dragon out, but Piermont only responded by pressing his knife harder against the servine's throat, and the Pokemon breathed harder baring his fangs at the dragon, "Do it!" he managed, "Do it, you pussy!"

"Terrias!" Shahvee exclaimed, and Piermont's head snapped up as he saw the _Nighthawks_ charge towards him. In a clean, fluid motion, he slayed the _Nighthawks_ , killing Shahvee last by jamming his knife into her gut, disemboweling her and spilling her entrails onto the ground. She cast him a horrified glance before collapsing to the ground.

"No!" the servine hissed, standing up and running towards the dragon, but Piermont turned around again, stabbing Terrias several times in the stomach before knocking him onto the ground until they were both laying down, the dragon laying on top of the servine.

"I've had enough of you!" the dragon growled, and just as he prepare to cut the Pokemon's throat, a shot rang throughout the air, his head snapped forward, and his eyes widened as a line of dark maroon dripped down his forehead from a hole that suddenly appeared in the center of his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, before droplets fell onto the servine's face. His limbs gave out beneath him and he fell onto the servine, laying down on him. Terrias tossed the the wounded dragon aside, and his eyes widened as he saw the bloodsoaked and exhausted Ruby leaning against the door frame, her fin wrapped around the dragon's pistol. She slowly stumbled towards Piermont, who slowly picked himself up, with the care of an elderly woman, before she stopped by his side. He rolled onto his back, glaring accusingly at the dolphin.

"I'm sorry..." Ruby replied, opening fire an emptying the entire clip into the dragon's body. Screaming in rage, she used her hydrokinesis to summon whips of water from the rain, violently and repeatedly slashing at the dragon's body until all that remained was a pile of unrecognizable, raw meat. Once her blind rage subsided, she collapsed to the ground, in tears sobbing quietly, all while the blood-spattered Terrias stared on in horror. "I did it..." she choked, "I kept my promise, Piermont...I kept my promise to you..."


	32. Chapter XXXI: Redemption

_**Chapter XXXI**_ **:**

 **-''Redemption''-**

 **-Vermilion, Illinois-**

 **- _16 December 2016_ -**

 **- _0719 Hours_ -**

" _Alex...?_ " a beautiful voice called sweetly through the encompassing darkness, " _Alex, are you awake?_ "

Slowly, his eyes opened, unveiling a blurry world before him. A dark shape stood over him, but its features were unrecognizable in the blurry vision he had. As his vision slowly cleared, the form became more solid and absolute, and before too long, he saw the worried face of Ruby tending to him.

"Ruby..." he said, voice weak and hoarse, and he extended a hand towards her, brushing her cheek, "You...you're alive..."

She smiled sadly towards him, a fresh wave of tears flowing down her face, and she nodded, "Yes, I'm alive...most of us made it out of here alive."

"And Piermont?"

Her smile instantly dissipated, and glancing sadly towards him, she picked up something from the table beside her, pressing its cold, hard firm into Alex's hand, which she kissed before finally letting go. He sat upright in bed, his body screaming in protest at the excursion, "Hey, hey..." Ruby said, "Take it easy, don't stress yourself too much...you're still recovering."

Now sitting upright, he opened his closed fist, seeing Piermont's battered dogtags resting in his palm. His heart sank, and he was terrified by the fact that the mutual mind bank felt no different in the dragon's absence...making the Commander realize that the dragon had faded away from the mind bank long before Ruby had put him down. This simple fact horrified him...what would happen to him? Would he become a shell of his former self like the others, or would the dragon's death have little to no effect on him, like what happened to Terrias upon Arian's death. His vision blurred again, and Alex fell into hysterical tears, laying back down and curling into a ball. Ruby looked at him sympathetically, leaning in to wrap her warm body around his, comforting him.

"I'm sorry, Alex..." she lamented, struggling not to cry herself, "I really am, but you must understand, he killed the _Nighthawks_ , he was going to kill Terrias, and then he was going to kill me and Gabriel...I had no choice."

"Did he suffer?"

"He's been suffering for a long time, Alex...I ended his suffering. He's better off now, and we are safe."

"What about the others? The ones who followed him?"

"Only Spyro is still alive...and he's back to his senses, at least, so it seems."

"Hey, Ruby?" Zinnia said, and the dolphin straightened in her seat, turning to see the French girl approach her, cradling the product of hers and Alex's unfathomable love.

With a warm smile, Ruby retrieved her child, then turned to Alex and said, "Do you want to see your son?"

After a few seconds of hesitation, Alex turned to face Ruby again, eyes widening at the sight of his child, whom Ruby was holding against her lower belly, a towel in her lap, nursing. The calf was slightly larger than most, with flesh as black as coal. Most alarming, however,was his eyes, a bright, brilliant, almost luminescent orange. "Deitus..." he managed.

"No," the dolphin replied, "I've looked into his mind, his thoughts are pure, innocent, his mind is forming and highly impressionable. If we raise him right, there will be not trace of the archdemon in his heart."

"Can he still lifehunt?"

"I'm not sure...he does have powers, I've seen him play with hydrokinesis, but I don't know which ones he does and doesn't have."

"Can I hold him?"

Ruby nodded, ceasing the flow of milk before handing the child to his father. Alex held the calf in his arms, resting the newborn on his stomach, and he gently stroked the animal, smiling lovingly. Gabriel curled into a ball in his lap, nuzzling his father, and Alex said, "He knows..."

"Of course," Ruby replied, "I sang to him about you."

Alex's eyes turned towards Ruby's, and he reached towards her, scratching her head and saying, "I love you, Ruby..."

She smiled back towards him, kissing his mouth, "I know...I love you, too."

"No doubts?"

She nodded, "No doubts...my mind is...clearer...now that Piermont is gone. That's why I believe that Spyro genuinely regrets what he did. The corruption that was spreading through us, emanating from him and infecting everyone in Alpha Company, is slowly fading away. Do you feel any different?"

The Commander shrugged, gently petting his sleeping son, "No...I don't. That's what frightens me...it feels like _nothing_ changed with his death."

"Piermont was disconnected from the mind bank shortly after we were," Terrias began, and Alex turned to see his friend enter the room, entirely nude, bandages across his arm and throat. He took a seat beside Ruby, cupping his three-fingered hands loosely in his lap, "You feel no different because nothing _has_ changed, except that now Piermont's corruption is gone. After Harbinger separated us from the mind bank, Piermont's mental state assumed you were dead, and he began to deteriorate. Even when we returned, he had already disconnected himself from the mind bank, and the damage had been done...he was too far gone to be saved, and it was only a matter of time before he ended up as that beast we encountered him as. He's gone now, your mate is a fucking badass, too...and he's in a better place..." then, "We also took the liberty of cremating him and the others for you..." the servine nodded towards the bookshelf at the other end of the living room-turned infirmary, where several urns now rested, "Once we take New Alexandria back from Vergil...we can scatter their ashes in the Burned Lands."

"How long was I out?"

"Only a couple of days," Terrias replied, "You haven't missed much. _Filios Diaboli_ attacked us, tried to get to Deitus—sorry, Gabriel—but we held them off with a little help from an unusual source..." and Alex glanced past the servine to see Synthia and the Omniversals standing behind him.

Although his hatred for the celestial beings burned brightly in his eyes, he simply, begrudgingly growled, "Thanks..."

"Apology accepted... you cockmongle," Synthia said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't start this again, Syn..." Violet responded.

"Leave him alone," Ruby said, coming to her mate's defense, "He's been through a lot."

"Yeah, we all have. Your point being?"

"Can we go five minutes without everybody trying to start shit?" Terrias growled, "We've just lost a huge chunk of our family. Let's try to show some respect for each other."

"Respect was thrown out the window long ago," Faythe said, "Even if he does go five minutes, who's to say he won't throw another tantrum after that?"

"I should have let you guys talk me into going home..." Violet mumbled under her breath.

"Take a step back, listen to what you're saying," Alex said, gently petting his child, "You're own arrogance is baiting conflict. If you wouldn't try to wave your 'superiority' around and try to prove how you're better than everybody else here, perhaps you wouldn't find as much animosity."

"He has a point," Terrias said, "But that's not the point. The point is that the greater threat is still around, and it's going to take _all_ of us to stop it. So we _all_ need to see each other on equal ground if we hope to stop Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_."

Ignoring Terrias, Synthia said, "We don't have anything to prove, especially to the likes of you. You're one to talk about 'arrogance' and 'superiority'. Speak for yourself, asshole. You know nothing about us!" she paused for a few moments, then continued, "In any case, you see that giant hole up in the sky? Just past that is the Omniverse. Our home. If I had my way, I'd be up there right now with a bag of popcorn, watching you fail miserably as we come crashing down into whatever the fuck you call this. But no, we decided to come here and help your sorry asses. You're welcome."

"I already thanked you, you're the one who's trying to start shit," Alex scowled.

"You're the one who started this, Vaughn. You started it way back in August, remember? If I recall correctly, you tried to kill us first. Because we wouldn't do your dirty work for you."

"Leave him alone, Synthia," Terrias hissed, "He needs his rest."

As the Omniversals left, Alex sighed, "Thanks, Terrias...another minute and I would have flipped my shit."

"They do have that affect on people."

"How are you feeling?"

The servine shrugged, "Well, I'm still alive, so I guess I'm doing well enough..." then, "I'm glad you're okay."

The Commander chuckled, "Well, you know how it goes..."

"Can't get rid of you that easily, huh?"

"Precisely...now help me up, I need a smoke."

Now outside, the duo smoked together in silence. Terrias seemed to have something on his mind, and Alex began to pry, "Everything okay, mate?"

"Yeah," he replied, distracted, "Yeah..."

"Want to talk about it?"

Terrias frowned, hesitating for a few moments before, "After seeing you on the ground, bleeding out..." he sighed, "I...eh...never mind. Don't worry about it."

"You sure?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"Well, if you feel like chatting, I'm here, okay?"

The servine nodded, and he suddenly embraced his friend tightly, "I'm glad you're okay, Alex..."

"I'm glad you're okay, too, Terrias."

Back inside, Alex reclaimed his child, cradling the calf before spying Azazel approach him. The goat boy seemed conflicted, and the Commander asked, "What's wrong, Zaz?"

"So that's my father?"

"Yeah," the Commander replied, petting the calf, "You want to hold him?"

Reluctantly, the goat boy agreed, and as Azazel held the calf, looking into the sleepy child's eyes, his look of fear and conflict grew, "My father..." he said, more to himself than anything.

"You okay?"

Azazel nodded, "Yeah, it's just...strange. I can't believe I'm holding my father. I look into his eyes, and all I can think of is the terrible things he put me through."

"It's different this time, Zaz...he won't hurt you or anyone, he's on our side now."

"Maybe..." he replied, then he handed the calf back to the Commander, sitting down on the couch, lost in thought.

"So...this is what I've spent the last eight months trying to kill..." Spyro began from behind the Commander, and Alex turned to face his former second-in-command. The purple dragon wore an ashamed frown, craning his neck to stare at the calf, his expression one of heavy guilt. After several moments, the dragon turned to face his Alex, bowing his head in submission, "I'm sorry, Alex...for everything."

"You weren't in control of yourself," Ruby replied, having not moved since she had tended to Alex upon his awakening, "No hard feelings."

"Yeah...tell that to Cyn..." and he looked longingly towards the she-dragon, curled into a ball around her youngest daughter, Terra, and sleeping soundly.

"Spoil her, and I'm sure you'll win her heart back eventually," Alex replied.

"Unfortunately, that's not going to happen," the purple dragon replied, "She can't look at me without that light of fear and absolutely horror in her eyes. I've lost her..." he turned to face the Commander, "Just...promise me you'll take care of her, Alex."

"Don't give up, man, it'll get better."

Spyro smiled sadly, "Yeah...if only that were true. After everything I did...I don't deserve her anyway."

"Same could be said about me, I mean, for Chrissakes, I'm a human. Even if she were still fertile, I wouldn't be able to give her kids...besides, it's my fault she's sterile now, anyway."

"Perhaps, but she still loves you."

"I don't know why."

"You've been good to her," the dragon replied, "Made her feel special, wanted...in the environment she was raised, sexual pleasure was a reward for good behavior, and a way to relax...but that's not important. What's important is that she's yours now...just promise me you'll take care of her and keep her safe."

"And what about _you_?"

"What _about_ me?"

"She's _your_ mate, what are you gonna do without her?"

"I'll live..." he replied coldly, "Besides, I did things with Piermont that I'm not proud of...it'll take some time before I can ever feel 'in the mood' again. Anyway, I'm sorry...to both of you...for everything that I did. Yes, I wasn't 'all there'...but Piermont didn't brainwash me, he just...inflated my insecurities, he fed my ego. I wasn't 'all there', but the things I did, the things I said...the things I _thought_...those were all me. His...influence...just brought them out into the light, made it impossible for me to contain those emotions."

"So you really do hate me?" Ruby frowned.

"I don't... _hate_ you, Ruby. But I'm also _not_ your biggest fan, either. I still think you're too vulnerable to be among us, that your fragile emotional state only condemns us. At the same time, it's not my choice as to whether or not you can stay, or what to do with you...that's Alex's decision, and he's decided to keep you here."

"I've been getting stronger..."

"Yes, you have," he replied, "But, at least in _my_ humble opinion, it's too risky. Again, it's not my choice or decision, it's Alex's, and he's made up his mind..." then, "Anyway, I should probably leave you guys alone...sure you have more important things to attend to..." and he left them alone. As he headed towards the front door heading outside, he stepped out of the way as Cynder reentered the house. The two briefly exchanged glances before she hanged her head, keeping as great a distance between them as she could. Spyro only watched her pass by, saying nothing, expression evidencing his shame and regret. She glanced up towards them, eyes widening as she spied the Commander sitting up in bed.

"Alex!" she exclaimed, running up to and pouncing upon him, hugging him tightly, "You're okay!"

"I'm fine, Cyn..." he chuckled, knocked onto his back by the she-dragon's size and weight, "I'm fine..."

She purred contentedly, her whole body vibrating rapidly, and he could feel her belly warm considerably as she nuzzled her human mate, "How are you feeling?" she asked, and he scratched her head, right behind her horns.

"Been better," he replied, "Honestly...I'm just glad everything with Piermont is over."

"I'm sorry it ended that way," she replied, frowning, "I know he meant a lot to you, and I know that you loved him. If there was another way we could have resolved it, we would have, but it was either him or you."

"I know," Alex sadly responded, "I'm just...glad that I was out for it. I was too weak to stop him, and I'm glad that someone else was willing to do that for me."

"I love you, Alex," Ruby said, "Honestly, that's the least I could have done for you..." then she added, "Besides, a long time ago, he made me promise to put him down when he went crazy...I was just hesitant to do so. I don't like hurting people if I can get away from it."

"Really? When did you promise him that?"

"When you and Terrias were being held by Kira and her bird people. A day or so before Deitus killed Cherub, he cornered me, apologized for everything he had done, and made me promise to kill him when he finally went past the point of no return, since he knew he was almost there."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Ruby."

She shook her head, smiling sadly towards him, "For you, it was worth it..." and the two embraced once more.

"Everything seems right between you two again," Cynder added, awkwardly watching them.

Alex smiled towards his delphinic mate, "Yeah, I think so..." then, towards the dragoness, "I still have time for you, Cyn."

She smiled back at him, "I appreciate it, and maybe I'll take you up on that someday...but for now, you have Ruby and Zinnia, I won't stand in your way."

"You gonna rekindle your relationship with Spyro?"

The she-dragon's smile instantly vanished, and she looked away.

"I'm sorry..." Alex said, "I didn't mean to offend..."

"No, I'm not offended," she replied, "I just...I don't know. Normal or not, I can't just pretend the things he did to me never happened," she gently caressed her clouded eye, "To open myself up to him, to make myself vulnerable to him again...to put myself into a position where he can and will do a lot of damage if he decides to hurt me...it's something that I just...I don't think I can do. At least, not right now. Maybe someday, but it'll take a long time before I feel comfortable around him again."

"And it's all my fault," Alex sighed.

"It's not your fault," the dragon replied, "What Spyro did...that's on him. Yes, I might not have helped matters with my relationship with you...but only _he_ can be blamed for the things he did to us," she sighed, "To be completely honest though..." and she looked at him, eyes sparkling with sadness, "I would be just as satisfied staying with you exclusively, as I would trying to get back together with him...perhaps even more so."

Alex kissed her mouth, "Cynder, I love you...very much. However, I think that you should also try to make things up with Spyro. Give him a chance, just like you've given me chances in the past."

"What if he hurts me again?"

"Then I'll take care of you, and you can stay with me."

After a few moments of silence, she slowly nodded, "Okay...I'll try."

"Good girl..." he scratched her head again, "I love you, Cynder...and I hate to see you two just throw away all the times you've spent together, I hate to see you just throw away your family...your kids."

She sighed, "I...guess you're right..." and she touched her forehead to his, showing her affection, and she whispered to him, "You will still spend time with me, won't you?"

"Of course," he replied, "I'm always here for you, Cyn."

She nodded, "Okay..." and saying nothing else, she left the room.

"She really cares a lot about you," Ruby said, "You mean a lot to her."

"So do you..." he replied, "And you mean a lot to me."

"Well, I'm more than happy to share...if Zinnia is willing to that is. Cynder is a very nice girl, she's always been really nice and caring and loving to me. She makes you happy, you make _me_ happy...and..." the dolphin blushed, "She makes me kinda happy, too..."

Remembering the truth of his engagement to Zinnia, Alex only smiled, "Oh, I don't think Zinnia will have any problem with sharing..." then, "Have you and Cynder...uh..."

Ruby blushed, looking away, "Well, I'm not going to say that we _have_...but there has been a few times where we've gotten...curious."

"Hot."

"Shush...it's not funny."

"I'm not laughing."

"But you're thinking it's silly or pathetic!"

"Why would I?" Alex laughed, "Cynder's good, so are you. Just...eh...I want in sometimes."

Ruby grinned mischievously, her blush slightly fading, "Oh...I think we can arrange something like that."

"Hey, Vaughn," Synthia began, suddenly appearing behind the Commander, "There's something we need to run by you. Can you come here for a sec?"

Alex exchanged a glance with Ruby, who only nodded slowly, and with a sigh, he stood upright, approaching them and following them outside.

A medallion rested on the ground, and in a flash of light, a blue hologram emitted from it, revealing a familiar face staring at the Commander, "...And suddenly, things are starting to make a bit more sense now. You took my advice, did you?" the girl said, and suddenly Alex remembered several years earlier, when two Omniversals named Robert and Alexia visited him during the _first_ Capstone Crisis.

…" _By the way, Commander...just a bit of advice...read everything you come across, when you happen to come across it, not a second later. It may very well determine where you end up in the future..."_

"Wait a second. You know this guy?" Synthia asked, arousing Alex from his thoughts.

"Yeah. We were here, like... a couple months ago?" Alexia continued.

"And you were going to let the rest of us in on this... when, exactly?" Violet asked.

"When it became relevant."

"When it became..." Synthia trailed off. She opened a small portal and swung her arm through, attempting to smack Alexia over the head on the other side, instead hitting Alexia's brother, Robert, instead.

"Ow! What the fuck was that?"

"You missed," Alexia said, a cocky smile on her face.

"Three years..." Alex suddenly said, "The Reapers arrived three years ago...not a few months," then, with a smirk, "I'm curious, you and Robert screwing each other behind the scenes, too? Incest seems to run in the family."

"It's none of your damn business what we've got going on 'behind the scenes'. In any case, even if we were, it's a lot less disgusting than everything you pull in front of the whole damn audience."

Silence for a few seconds before Alex shrugged, " _Touch_ _é_ ," then, "Been a long time...how have you been, Alexia? You and Robert are so much nicer than these guys. I know I'm not really in the position to ask but...think you can help us with Vergil? Since the others don't seem to care that the fate of the Omniverse and the Base World are at stake here."

Synthia, baring her teeth in a morbid snarl, almost took the bait before being shot down by a glare from Violet.

"Hmm... we might be able to. Small problem though," Alexia replied.

"What's the problem?"

"Well... we're kinda being held captive in the Solitude dungeon. It'd be incredibly easy for us to just bust out and fuck their shit up, but they seem to have had a pretty shitty couple of weeks already. Don't want to make things worse. Anything you can do on your end?"

"So you heard about that, huh?" Alex frowned, "Eh...lemme go fetch Cynder and Terrias and we'll head to Windhelm and talk to Jarl Ulfric."

Cynder landed in the heart of Windhelm, just before the palace. Alex and Terrias hopped off the dragoness, the servine adjusting his trench coat against the bitter, winter cold. As it always seemed to do, a heavy blizzard came down from the dreary, gray, overcast skies, rendering visibility to nearly zero. Upon their arrival, they saw Synthia and company waiting patiently by the door to the palace. The group in tow, they entered through the towering doors, spying Jarl Ulfric talking with Dante.

"Commander Vaughn," Ulfric began, "What brings you here?"

"Solitude's got a couple of..." silence for a few seconds as Alex tried to think of a way to identify the imprisoned Omniversals, "Friends, I suppose...locked up. Think you can pardon them?"

"I have little influence over the politics of Solitude, but feel free to depart on my blessing."

"You need me to tag along?" Dante asked.

"No," the Commander replied, "That won't be necessary..." then after a few seconds, "Actually, on second thought, perhaps that _would_ be a good idea. Don't think the Solitude guards will be very happy to see me again, and I'm _pretty_ sure they won't believe me on my word alone...not really fond of me anyway..." and to Cynder, "Can you hold another passenger?"

The dragoness grinned at her human mate, "What do you think? I mean, it's not like I've carried multiple people before."

Alex shrugged, "Fair enough..." then to the Omniversals, "You guys can...do whatever the hell you do to get around, we'll meet you there."

Emerging in the clear skies of Solitude, the sunbathed streets and noticeably more temperate climate a far-cry from Windhelm's bitter, dreary ambiance, Cynder scattered the Imperial onlookers with a warning blast of fire before landing in the training grounds near the castle. The Omniversals emerged from their portal shortly after, and with the Commander, Dante, Terrias, and Cynder in tow, they stormed into the Blue Palace.

"All right, what's the deal?" Alex asked bitterly, interrupting the meeting that the Jarl was having with the Captain of the Guard, her steward, and the court magician, "I hear you caught two new prisoners, why?"

The captain drew his sword, "You have the audacity to show your face around here?" he hissed, "I will not tolerate Ulfric's bullying!"

Dante drew his own sword then, placing the cold steel of his blade firmly against the man's throat, "I wouldn't be so quick to threaten, Imperial."

"You don't scare me," he snarled, "You and your kind can rot in Riften's Ratway for all I care!"

"You are directly threatening four of the highest ranking members of Jarl Ulfric's cabinet and military, unprovoked, a very dangerous game, indeed. Sheathe your weapon, Imperial, unless you really want to play."

"Put it away, Tyrentus," Jarl Elisif replied, and Alex brutally shoved the Imperial back, brushing off Messorem's armor—his charred-black riding gear, "Now, what do you want from us?" she asked the Commander.

"The two prisoners you captured earlier...why did you take them prisoner?"

"They came from the sky," Tyrentus replied, "After the things you pulled on us so recently, Barbarian, we weren't willing to chance them to remain free."

"I demand you set them free," Alex replied.

"You hold no authority over me, boy!"

Again, Dante threatened the captain with his enchanted sword, "Watch your tongue, Imperial, before I cut it out!"

"I don't care that you are Dragonborn," Tyrentus snarled, "You are still nothing more than a pathetic, lawless Nord!"

"You are testing my patience."

"Tyrentus!" Elisif ordered, "Enough!" then to Alex, "I will set them free, under one condition."

"Name your price," Alex replied, hesitantly sheathing his sword.

"I do not want to see them within my walls again."

"Deal," he replied, then to the Omniversals, "Let's get your friends out of there..." and he stormed out of the room, the others in tow.

In the dungeons, Alex stopped in front of Robert and Alexia's shared cell, the two lounging inside. Wrapping his hands around the bars, he gave them a firm shake, "Having fun in there?" and he stepped aside as a Solitude guard approached them, reaching into his pocket for a ring of keys and unlocking the door, swinging it open and standing aside to let the two prisoners out.

"Oh, yeah. It was a real party in there. I'm gonna miss it dearly," Alexia responded sarcastically, her and Robert walking out.

As they emerged into the sunlight, nearly blinded by the light, they headed towards the southern gates, only to stop in the middle of the town's square to see guards surrounding a tall, skinny man, with dark purple eyes, short, straight, unnaturally silver hair, and pale, ashen-gray skin.

The leather armor-clad man smiled, "Not a very friendly bunch, are you?"

"Who the hell is _this_ guy?" Alex sighed.

"Bit of a long story there," Robert said.

"Raziel?" Synthia said, moving closer to the stranger, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Funny you should ask that," the man, Raziel, replied, "I was looking for you so I could ask the same thing. Imagine my surprise when I saw that you were already here when this situation started to unfold. Care to explain?"

"I dunno. Would you care to explain why the hell we're standing in a place you said didn't even exist anymore? Furthermore, why some asshat called Vergil is after us?!"

Raziel noticeably tensed at the mention of the multiversal, a tic that Alex noticed and instantly became suspicious of, just who _was_ this guy? Was he one of them?

"Vergil..." Raziel replied, voice distant, shaking his head in denial, "No, no...it cannot be..."

"So you _do_ know something. Out with it, already!"

Raziel looked around at their surroundings, shaking his head before saying, "Not here. Is there anywhere we can go that's more... secluded?"

"Hold on a moment," Alex replied, "Who is this guy? Can someone tell me? Is he one of you? Just how many Omniversals _are_ there!?"

"Well, depending on where Vergil ranks, I'd say either 8 or 9 at this point," Violet responded.

Back in Vermilion, Alex and the rest of the recovering Alpha Company sat in front of the roaring fire with the Omniversals and their companion, "Okay..." Terrias began, addressing Raziel, "What do you know about Vergil?"

"Everything," Raziel responded.

After several seconds of awkward silence, Rapid—sitting upright in bed, a bandage around his head—said, "Well? Don't keep us in suspense! Get talkin', Boss."

"I agree with the Reverend," Spyro said, "Talk."

"He was my friend. Before our worlds separated and became what they are today, Vergil, myself, and four others watched over them; three to each side. Vergil was the newest addition to our ranks. I protested it. He simply was not cut out for it. We were supposed to keep order between our worlds, yet he thrived on chaos. So, when the balance was shfited and things became unstable, he did nothing to help us stop it. I believe he was the cause of it in the first place. Until now, I thought he had perished."

"Well, your 'friend' decided to get in bed with an evil sonuvabitch called Deitus, an immortal demigod and the son of Archangels Messoremel and Vitamel...the angels of Death and Life respectively," Alex said.

"Yes..." Necrodusk frowned, "Vergil unlocked Deitus' deadly Lifehunt ability, a power with which he fed his immortality. Vergil freed Deitus from the Chains of Eternity that the angels bound him to purgatory with, then proceeded to release the Alpha Breaker into the _Inner Dimension_ between the Omniverse and the Base World, shattering the Greater Beams keeping the two capstone worlds apart and beginning to collapse our worlds together. Because of him, the world is ending, and there's nothing that can be done about it. The Alpha Breaker's damage is permanent, even if we manage to kill Vergil and destroy the Alpha Breaker, those beams will remain broken, and all of those pillars of light you see shooting up into the sky in the distance...those will remain until the very end of time. Both the Base World and the Omniverse are frighteningly close to Armageddon, and unless we can find a way to defeat Vergil, we are helpless to stop it."

"Making matters worse," Alex added, "Vergil is insanely powerful...he can manipulate our souls, puppeting our bodies to prevent us from attacking him and even turning us against each other. Please tell me you have an idea how to stop him."

"I have an idea on how to stop him," Raziel replied.

"You're welcome to share with the class any time now," Terrias replied.

"...I was telling you what you wanted to hear. He should not be this powerful. The way our abilities work is that we can give ourselves any ability we so desire that the world we're currently in will allow for. Within Base World, that opens up a wide range of possibilities, but he should not be capable of manipulating one's soul in addition to everything else you say he can do. He must be drawing the extra power from someplace else..."

A dark aura suddenly fell over the room, and Ruby said in a small, timid voice, "So that's it then...there's nothing we can do to stop this...the end is imminent..."

"Don't say that, Ruby," Alex replied, placing his bionic hand on her side, attempting to comfort her, "We'll find a way to stop him...there's _gotta_ be a way."

"A way that nobody knows," Necrodusk replied coldly, "And we're out of time to figure it out."

"We'll think of something," Alex replied, "We'll find a way to stop him, don't worry. And we _will_ take our city back!"

"Alex?" a voice spoke from behind the Commander, and he looked behind him to see Terrias slithering through the front door and out into the front yard. It was late at night, they were the only two awake, and the Commander was smoking in silence. He offered his friend a cigarette, but the servine turned it down, choosing to sit on the stoop beside Alex.

"How you doing?" the Commander asked after several minutes of silence between the two.

"Doing pretty good," he replied, although it seemed something was on his mind. Alex chose not to pry, ignoring this with the thought that if Terrias wanted to talk, he would talk. After several more minutes of silence, and just as Alex drilled the butt of his cigarette into the concrete sidewalk leading up to the house, standing up to head back inside, Terrias grabbed him by the arm, holding him in place, "Hey, wait a sec..."

Alex turned to face his friend again, and the servine loosened his grasp, "What's up?" the Commander asked, but he was interrupted as Terrias kissed him. Startled, Alex stumbled back once the servine had broke off contact, and Alex asked, "What was that for?"

Looking down towards the ground, Terrias sighed, remaining silent for several seconds before, "Alex, I've been thinking about recent things. Especially today...and I realized something..."

"What?"

"I'm ready...if you are."

"For what? To mate?"

He nodded, "Yes...I thought a lot about it today...and I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Alex only nodded in understanding, soon responding with, "Well, where do you want to do it?"

"Somewhere quiet...hidden away. Preferably warm, too..." he chuckled nervously, "Will be kinda hard to get comfortable if I'm freezing. It'll already be a challenge to get comfortable, I think...but I'm ready, or as ready as I can be."

Sneaking back into the house, Alex skirted the sleeping bodies of his unit, grabbing the keys to his father's backyard 'western town' construction project before quietly slipping outside, Terrias in tow. The Commander let the two into the cabin, quietly closing and locking the door behind them, ensuring the curtains were pulled and lighting a small, hanging lantern for light. The wind whistled through the cracks in the wooden walls, not insulated, even though the cabin was still warm. It was small but cozy, and with a relatively soft bed and clean bedclothes in one corner of the room, it was all they needed for their retreat.

"So...how you want to do this, Terrias?" Alex asked, sitting on the bed.

The servine shrugged, nervously sitting beside his friend, "I...uh...don't really know. Honestly kinda hard to believe I'm _actually_ going to do this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna back down, but this is honestly something I only thought would happen in my fantasies."

"You've fantasized about me?"

He shrugged, "Yeah...a few times..." and Alex noticed that he nervously played with a string jutting from one of the sheets.

"Well," and the Commander leaned back, "How do we do this in your fantasies? Let's start with that and go from there."

Hesitantly, Terrias laid down on the bed, pulling Alex on top of him and kissing the Commander's mouth. The two explored each other with their tongues, briefly touching and dabbing against each other before breaking it off. Alex felt something hard poke against his lower belly, and he helped Terrias out of his coat to see that the servine's two, small, smooth, blood-red penises were already poking hard and tight from his open cloaca, dripping a little bit of clear fluid from their tips. The Commander softly grabbed onto one of them, pulling it gently. It was hot to the touch and slick with unknown juices, tensing and pulsing in his hand.

Terrias unbuttoned Alex's jeans, reaching down his pants to wrap a three-fingered paw around his slowly-hardening penis, squeezing and tugging on it until it was fully erect. With his free hand, their mouths still locked together in a kiss, Terrias pulled off Alex's clothes until the two sat tangled together, both fully nude.

They began easily enough, Terrias wormed his way into a position so that he could close his mouth over his friend's erection, gently suckling and nibbling on the tip. Alex responded by doing similarly, wincing, at first, from the servine's strong musk.

"Sorry..." Terrias replied with a nervous chuckle, pulling away from the Commander's belly, a string of saliva stretching and snapping as he glanced up to meet his friend, "Females like a strong scent to their mates..."

"It's fine..." Alex replied, "Just...will take some getting used to, that's all."

"Sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay...well if you're uncomfortable...just let me know."

"I'm fine," Alex replied with a smile, "It's all good..." and he once more closed his mouth over his friend's erect hemipenes.

Terrias sighed in pleasure before he did the same. Only once both were sufficiently aroused did they break away and Terrias rotated until he and Alex were facing each other again. Here, he laid down on his back, exposing himself to him, and he sighed, nervous, "Okay...um...I'm ready. Just...please be gentle, okay? I'm not...I'm not used to having something in there."

"You sure you want to do this?"

He wore a worried expression, remaining hesitant for a few moments before nodding abruptly, "Yes...whenever you're ready, I am..." and he reached towards his horizontal slit, spreading the lips even further apart. Alex glanced down, seeing a dark, pink-lined hole situated between and slightly beneath the servine's erect penises. Grabbing his own, he straddled Terrias' body, placing the tip of his erection against the hole and slowly beginning to push in. The servine squeezed his eyes shut and hissed, seeming on the verge of tears.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine..." he managed, nodding abruptly, "It just...feels weird, kinda hurts."

"Should I stop?"

"No...keep going...I'll get used to it..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Alex only nodded before pushing further inward. Terrias hissed again, clenching the sheets tightly, his eyes squeezed so tightly shut that tears streamed down his cheeks, he wore an expression as if in pain, breathing heavily and unsteadily, and Alex remained still for a minute or two, until the servine had calmed, before pushing further in. Eventually, once he was about three-quarters in, all tension and resistance gave away beneath him and he fell clumsily to his belly, the hole opening up entirely. Terrias gasped, eyes snapping open, but after a few seconds he relaxed, his shaky breath deep and slow. Once both were comfortably connected, Alex slowly began to rock forward, and Terrias matched his slow, steady movements with his own, grabbing Alex tightly and pulling him close. The two kissed once again, and Alex picked up speed, alarmed by just how tight the servine was. Occasionally, he shifted beneath the Commander, even the subtlest movements causing him to hiss or groan in pain and tense once again. The muscles of his lower belly and anus tensed and pulsed unsteadily, his body clearly had no idea what to think of the foreign object penetrating a hole that shouldn't have been penetrated.

"You still okay?"

"Fine..." Terrias replied, "Thought this would feel a helluva lot better than it is..."

"Should I stop?"

"No...we're already too far in...let's just...finish up."

"Pull out?"

"No...fill me up."

They continued thrusting against each other, until Alex felt himself nearing climax, "I'm almost there...last chance to go back."

"Fill me up," Terrias replied, "Go ahead..."

"How close are you?" Alex asked.

"Very..." Terrias responded, voice strained and unsteady.

Alex grabbed Terrias' hemipenes even tighter now, pulling and squeezing them harder, all while he thrusted harder and harder, using the servine's tightness and throbbing, confused muscles as an aid. Finally, with a sigh, he reached his climax. Terrias, with a grunt, pulled Alex even closer to him, clutching the Commander tightly, breathing heavily and unsteadily. His twin penises became much harder, suddenly throbbing before a rush of thick, syrupy fluid oozed from the tips, sliding down the shafts and gathering at the mouth of his cloaca, occasionally shooting out to splatter on Alex's belly. When at last their climaxes had receded, Alex slowly slid out of Terrias, dropping to the side and laying beside his friend. The servine's cloaca, now painted white, throbbed and pulsed as his hemipenes slowly retreated, each involuntary throb oozing milky-white fluid out of the hole and around his waist.

"Well..." Terrias chuckled, "That was...more unpleasant than I thought it would be."

"You okay?"

"Fine..." he turned his head to face his friend, smiling sheepishly, "Thanks for that...didn't necessarily match my fantasies...it felt a lot better in them...but I'm glad we did this. Hell, might even be willing to do it again...just not any time soon."

"Anything I can do for you?"

"You've done enough..." and silence fell for several seconds as the two looked towards the dimly-lit ceiling, lively with the eerie, formless shadows casted upon it by the hanging lantern. The two listened to the whistling wind and creaking boards for a few minutes before, Terrias said, "Damn...so we're _actually_ mates, now, huh?"

"Yep..."

He shook his head, "Never thought we would achieve that status..."

"How long have you been lusting for me?"

Terrias shrugged, "Quite some time...but it was little more than a mild fetish...sometimes I'd use it as a fantasy if Aria wasn't available and I needed to masturbate to relieve tension. I guess I started, kinda, seriously considering the option when you and I were stuck in Avione together. Seeing us naked together during the Proving kinda turned me on...after that I started fantasizing about you more frequently...a few times, even, while I was mating with Aria. Now, don't get me wrong, you aren't gonna replace her..."

"I get the point," Alex chuckled, then, "Shit...we _actually_ did it...we _actually_ just had sex."

"Yeah, don't remind me," he replied, turning away, "Funny how ashamed I feel now that I'm not horny anymore."

"Yeah..." the Commander replied, looking away, unable to meet his friend's eyes, "But hey...it was kinda fun while it lasted, huh?"

"For you maybe..."

"I'm sure it'll be easier and less painful the more we do it."

"Yeah? That'll be a long time coming. I don't _regret_ doing it, not at all, really, I'm _glad_ we did...and we _might_ be able to do it again...but don't expect it anytime soon."

"Understood."

"And thank you."

"Thank you, Terrias..."

Silence hanged between them for several moments before the servine stood upright, replacing his trench coat and saying, "We should probably get back into the house—and probably to bed—before someone wakes up and finds us missing. The _last_ thing I want is for someone to wake up and realize that you and I just fucked."

Alex stood up as well, dressing himself, and the two stepped outside together, both relieving themselves together against a tree before sneaking back inside and returning to bed.

As they drifted off, Terrias thought to his new mate, _You know, I can_ still _feel your cum oozing out...weirdest feeling in the fucking world._

 _Sorry._

 _I actually kinda like it...just a little bit, though._

Alex barely managed to catch himself before bursting out into laughter, _Fucking hell, man..._ he thought to the servine in good humor, _You almost made me wake up everybody in the fucking house._

 _I guess I'm lucky you love me, huh?_

 _Yeah, yeah...goodnight, Terrias._

 _Love you, honey._

The Commander smirked, _Love you, too...you horny bastard._


	33. Chapter XXXII: Identity Crisis

_**Chapter XXXII**_ **:**

 **-''Identity Crisis''-**

 **-Vermilion, Illinois-**

 **- _24 December 2016_ -**

 **- _2016 Hours_ -**

Alpha Company sat around the living room, playing cards with Alex's family. His mother busied herself at the kitchen stove, baking cookies and making a large pot of homemade hot chocolate in celebration of Christmas Eve. Rapid sat at the piano tucked away in the corner of the living room, playing various Scott Joplin rags, and was currently playing _The Strenuous Life_. Ruby was nowhere to be seen, having stepped away from the game an hour earlier to somewhere unknown, but no one had taken notice or were really too concerned about her, her mood had vastly improved since Piermont's death.

Zinnia had gone back to France to spend the holidays with her family, and Alex sat tucked between Cynder and Dash. Across the table from their poker game, Spyro would occasionally cast a glance towards his mate and the Commander, but Cynder didn't seem to acknowledge this and, although Alex _did_ , he didn't really care. It was a good day, spirits were high, and the joys of the Christmas season saturated the battle-weary unit. Alex did find himself thinking of Piermont a lot...unable to truly grasp that the dragon was no longer around, but at the same time he was relieved, knowing that, not only was the dragon suffering no longer, but his family was safe from harm...at least for the time being.

"Your turn," Cynder said, snapping him back to reality, and upon returning to the present time, he only nodded and played his hand. As he knelt towards the table to draw a card, Cynder lightly grabbed his arm, and once he righted himself, she thought to him, _Everything all right?_

 _Fine_ , he responded, _Just...getting used to Piermont's absence still, that's all._

She nodded in understanding, but said nothing else, returning her full attention to the game at hand. He tried to distract his mind from everything that was surging through it, but he found this much harder to accomplish than he'd like. Eventually, once the game had ended, he stood upright and walked towards the door. "Where you going?" his father asked behind him.

"Need a smoke," the Commander replied, digging into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes and stepping out onto the porch, producing a small flame in the palm of his hand and sitting on the stoop, watching the snow slowly fall from the sky to gather, unbroken, upon the ground.

"Gonna be a white Christmas," Terrias said from behind him, and Alex scooted aside to allow the servine to sit. The Commander offered him a cigarette, which the Pokemon took, accepting Alex's offer to light it for him.

"Indeed it is," Alex replied, "Hell, I ain't complaining though...I like the snow, I just don't like the cold."

"Gonna be kinda weird without Pierre, huh?"

"I'd rather not be reminded about that, Terrias."

"Sorry..."

Alex shrugged, "It's fine...I'll get over it in time."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Nothing that you haven't done already, mate."

Silence for several more moments before, "Wonder where Ruby ran off to?"

Alex shrugged, "Probably went to bed, I'm _pretty_ sure she still believes in Santa Claus."

"Cute."

"I didn't have the heart to ruin the surprise for her," Alex chuckled, "Gives her something to look forward to, y'know? We're running out of those it seems."

"You think Spyro and Cyn will ever hook back up again?"

"Who knows...Spyro crossed a line, Cynder was patient with him, but he's tried her so many times that...well...let's just say that I won't be surprised if they avoid each other from now on."

"Pity."

Alex smirked, "Yeah, right...she deserves better than him."

"I agree...and that's why she has you."

"Well...for now anyway."

"Still concerned about splitting yourself between Cynder, Ruby, and Zinnia?"

He shrugged, "It's...complicated. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm starting to develop feelings for her again...I kinda want our marriage to be more than just some elaborate, sleight-of-hand hoax to throw the public's scrutiny off the _real_ mechanics of the trick."

"Well, who's not to say that you and Zinnia can sometimes treat each other like a real couple, as an interlude from your mates?"

"That's the plan, anyway," he replied, "I'm not quite sure if she actually shares many feelings for me anymore."

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Because it's been so long."

"She wanted to be on the fuckin' rebound for Sarah, I say that's a pretty good indicator of where you lie on her love meter."

Alex frowned, "Perhaps...but my emotions are torn. I'm tired of feeling guilty about sleeping around, but I don't want to break off the relationships I have. I still don't think Ruby will be able to handle it, Cynder could, but then I'd be leaving her without a mate, since she ain't getting back with Spyro anytime soon."

"And Zinnia?"

Alex shrugged, "She survived however many years without me...don't think she'll miss any more."

"Well, don't worry so much about it, man. Everything'll work out, you'll see."

"Sounds oddly religious, Terrias."

"Screw you," he replied, albeit playfully, "You don't need to believe in a higher power to have hope. Anyway, stop stressing, enjoy the holidays with your family. Things are going good for us right now, relish in it."

"Yeah? Cept for the Beams, the Breakers, and Vergil...oh, and fucking God's Company."

"Well...things are better than they have been, anyway."

"Cause nothing's better than dancing on the edge of fuckin' Armageddon."

"Stop being so negative, Alex. Lighten up a little, live life to the fullest, _Carpe Diem_ , all that other bullshit," he clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Now, I'm getting back inside...freezing my balls off out here."

"You don't _have_ balls," Alex chuckled,

"Yeah, yeah, you get what I mean. Freezing my second dick off, that sound better?"

"More believable anyway."

Terrias, wearing a grin, only shook his head and disappeared back inside the house, leaving the Commander to extinguish his cigarette in the snow beneath his feet and follow the servine back inside.

An hour later, Alex and party had just finished another round, preparing to start another. Rapid's cheery tunes had ended as the skunk decided to retire for the night, and the television was on, showing a marathon of old Christmas cartoons. Alex's mother, in good spirits, called the family into the kitchen, greeting them with freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, right out of the oven, and hot chocolate. Grabbing a mug and a plate, the Commander returned to the living room, sitting beside Cynder on the couch, watching _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ , when a silhouetted form emerged from the dark hallway.

"Alex...?" a timid voice began, and the Commander turned to face the source of the sound, his jaw dropping at what he saw.

A young woman stood in the hallway, short and thin, with pale, nearly flawless skin. She wore a blanket to cover her nudity, with long, dark red hair hanging down over her shoulders and covering her small, b-cup breasts. Her deep, innocent blue eyes displayed a worried expression, and Alex barely recognized the girl standing before him, "Ruby?" he asked, "Why the transformation? There's not a whole helluva lot we can do, and everybody knows you're still a dolphin."

Her reply, accompanied by a coy smile, genuinely chilled Alex to the bone, breaking gooseflesh out upon his arm, "Not anymore."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

She blushed, looking away in embarrassment, "I am a dolphin no longer...what you see here, is who I really am now. I'm a human now, just like you."

"What?"

"She's right," an amused, male voice spoke to Alex's left, and the Commander jumped upon seeing the angel Gabriel standing in the corner of the room, a toothpick in his mouth.

"Fucking hell!" Alex scowled, "Don't do that!" then, "What do you mean she's not a dolphin anymore?"

"Ruby, dear," Gabriel began, "Would you mind telling him? I would but, figured I'd leave the big reveal to you," and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.

Ruby cautiously sat on the couch beside Alex, looking at her bare feet, "Well...you see..." she began, "Remember how you made the angels promise to resurrect Zaz as part of the deal to get you to impregnate me?"

"Yes..."

"Well..." she blushed again, "I, too, made a deal. I would carry our child until he was born...and after his birth, I would be turned into a human permanently, my dolphin form would be banished completely...so that you and I can get married, and we can have as many children as we want now."

"Oh fuck..." Terrias began, "Things just got _real_ complicated..."

"Shut up, Terrias," Alex replied sternly, turning back to face the girl, "So...you mean to tell me that you're not a dolphin anymore?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head, "I'm as human as you are..." and she smiled warmly, "You and I are compatible for children now, too...meaning we can have as many babies as we want."

Alex, in shock as Ruby's reveal, looked blankly towards the television screen, slowly processing the information he had just heard. Remaining hand trembling, he gently placed it against his head, massaging his temples, "Crap..."

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Aren't you excited?"

"I am, Ruby, I really am, but..."

"But what?" she asked, concerned.

"What about Zinnia?" Terrias asked, "I doubt the law will let you get away with a plural marriage."

"Suddenly, the cheating scenario just got much more complicated..." Cynder replied, "Damn..."

"Look on the bright side," Ruby replied with a smile, "Now you don't have to fake a marriage to Zinnia to stay with me, now _we_ can get married for real!"

Instantly, Alex was aware that his mother's accusing eyes were focused on him, "I...uh...I can explain," he began.

"Crafty," his father replied, but one accusing glare from his wife silenced him, and he swiftly apologized.

Ruby tenderly placed a pale hand onto Alex's knee, chilling his blood even more, and he found that he couldn't match her warm, loving gaze towards him. His mind had completely shut down, he had no idea how to respond or what to do. He knew that this was something Ruby had wanted for a long time, but he did not believe she would _actually_ manage to achieve this goal...what was he going to do now? He felt incredibly uncomfortable, and he began to retreat into his mind, taking himself away from the vulnerable and unpleasant situation he was in, to lock himself down within the deepest depths of his mind and try to sort and process the information he had just been given. How was he supposed to react? He needed to show Ruby that he was happy for her sacrifice, that he was looking forward to their future together, but at the same time this felt so _wrong_ and uncomfortable. Even when he had first relished in his bestial attractions, he hadn't felt so lost and disgusting than he did now. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to react? Pulling out the first thing that came to mind, he said, "Ruby...you didn't have to..."

"Yes, I did," she replied, "It was either this, or I continue to hurt you in the eyes of the world, by forcing you to mate with a stupid fish. Now, I'm as human as you are, we can get married and have a big family, and we can be a _normal_ couple, in a _normal_ relationship."

He didn't respond, and her smile slowly faded.

"You're not happy...are you..." she frowned, looking away, "I knew it was a mistake..."

"No...I'm really happy, Ruby, I just...wasn't expecting this. Honestly, this gift you gave me, this early Christmas gift, _really_ surprised me."

Her smile returned, this time sly and mischievous, "I knew you would be surprised."

" _Quite_ surprised," he replied, "In fact, _surprised_ is a...major understatement."

She kissed him then, startling him. Upon breaking away, she smiled towards him, "Merry Christmas, Alex...maybe you can deflower me again tomorrow, hmm?"

"Maybe..." he replied, voice trailing.

"Goodnight, Alex. I love you."

"I...love you, too, Ruby. Goodnight..."

Once she had finally let, the Commander released his held breath.

"Well, she's _definitely_ into you," Terrias chuckled, "Holy shit, man...she literally gave up her _entire identity_ to be with you...that takes dedication."

"What am I supposed to do...?" Alex asked, voice trailing and lost, "I don't want to hurt her feelings...but I am _really_ uncomfortable right now. This feels...wrong."

"And sleeping around with animals...felt right?" his father replied.

"Well, I didn't feel uncomfortable the first time I did it, if that's what you're asking. What the fuck am I supposed to do? How am I gonna explain this to Zinnia?"

"You're not thinking about breaking off your engagement with her to be with Ruby, are you?" his mother asked.

"Their engagement was a farce to _begin_ with," Jazz replied, "Zinnia is a beard for Alex's relationship with Ruby and Cyn, that was the plan."

"What plan?"

"The plan," Alex began, "Was that Zinnia and I would get married so the public would stop scrutinizing my private relationships. Zinnia is a cover...a beard...so that I can continue sleeping with Ruby and Cyn...but if I would have known Ruby was planning...this...! I might have done something different."

"She wanted to surprise you..." Cynder said.

"Wait, you _knew_!?"

The dragoness nodded, "Yes."

"Fucking hell...why didn't you tell me? Especially when you knew that Zinnia and I were getting together!"

"Because it wasn't my place. I told Ruby to tell you, I _told_ her that if she wanted to have a shot with you, that she better speak up now before you and Zinnia became official. It was her own fault she kept it quiet. I understand why she did it, but at the same time, she threw away her best shot at remaining with you."

"No shit, she threw it away!"

Exasperated, with a sigh, he buried his head in his hands, "God _damn it_ , Ruby!"

"What are you more upset about?" Terrias asked, "The fact that Ruby messed up your relationship with Zinnia? Or the fact that Ruby ruined your relationship with _her_."

"The latter..." Alex sighed, "I really wish I would have known Ruby was planning this...I would have waited for her..."

"Why?" his mother asked, "Zinnia's a good girl."

"Zinnia's a female me," Alex scowled, "In more ways than one. You thought _I_ was bad for sleeping with animals?" he chuckled, "She did it _long_ before I ever did."

"What?"

"Yeah..." the Commander, ashamed, looked towards the ground, "Ruby...why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"You love her?" his father asked, and Alex nodded.

"She means the world to me...I did all of this for her," he frowned, "And now I feel like an idiot. I love Ruby, she's the best thing to ever _happen_ to me...and I love her more than life itself."

"Then _be_ with her! If your thing with Zinnia wasn't real, then surely there won't be any problems breaking it off, right? If you and her agreed to do this for Ruby's sake, then surely she'll have no problem changing the plan a bit, right?"

"I don't..." Alex sighed, "I don't know...I'll have to talk to her."

"I do have _one_ request, though..." Alex's father began, "Even though I _know_ it doesn't make much of a difference anymore."

"What's that?"

"If you and Ruby _do_ decide to get married...save yourselves until after the fact."

"I'm not a virgin anymore," Alex chuckled.

"No, but Ruby's new body _is_."

Alex shrugged, "Yeah, whatever...I'll see what I can do. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do about this in the _first_ place."

Alex slowly opened his eyes, wincing against the sunlight pouring into his face through the half-closed curtains. "Shit..." he groaned, sitting up and yawning, noticing that he was the only one home. He climbed out of bed, stretching and walking towards the bathroom. Someone was inside, taking a shower, but the door was left unlocked, and with a light knock on the door, he entered.

"Is that you, Alex?" Ruby's voice began, and she pulled aside the curtains, slightly, to glance towards her mate.

"Yeah," he grimaced, "It's me...you know where everyone is?"

"Something about getting some things for supper," she replied, and she disappeared back behind the curtain.

Once he had finished his business, he stood in front of the sink, looking at his reflection in the fogged mirror before saying, "Hey, Ruby?"

"Yes, Alex?"

"I'm sorry if I seemed a little weird last night...I was just... _really_ surprised to see you as a human."

"You're not upset are you?"

"Huh? No! No, no, no...I'm actually really glad..." she peeked through the curtains again, smiling softly towards him.

"You're beautiful, Ruby..." he began, a tangle of complicated emotions turning deeply in his gut, "I don't deserve you."

"Alex..." and she pulled aside the curtain, revealing her full nudity to him. Her small, perky breasts poked from her chest, tiny, dark-red nipples hard and erect. She was small and petite, her soaked hair plastered against body. A healthy bush of dark red, almost brown pubic hair obscured her human genitals from view, and she blushed towards him, crossing her hands nervously before her body,"I did this for you...I made this deal for you. I've wanted, for so long, for us to be accepted as a couple, and now we finally have a chance..." she smiled sadly, "I was a fool...arrogant...and I didn't think to try and tell you. I mean, I wanted it to be a surprise...but at the same time, I should have told you when I saw you and Zinnia getting close. I don't want you to feel bad though, I'm happy, I'm very happy to be yours, even if we don't mate, and above all else..." she smiled sheepishly, "I'm _still_ your little gemstone, I'm _still_ your Ruby."

He walked towards the girl standing before him, her new form like that of a stranger, but her aura identifiable, familiar. He stood beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him in a hug, burying his head in her neck, "Ruby...I love you, I always will...and if I could find a way to take you as my wife...I would."

"It's okay..." she whispered in his ear, breaking the embrace and pulling away from him, gently caressing his cheek with her soft, velvety hands, her warm, loving blue eyes looking into his own, so full of longing and confusion, "I will _always_ be here for you," she whispered with a shy smile, "I'm not going anywhere...and if you decide that, one day, you want to have another child with me, or perhaps you just want the familiar touch of a lover...you only have to ask. I'm always open to you, and I only have eyes for you."

He placed his hand against hers, now resting on his cheek, and he pulled it away, kissing it, a few tears beginning to appear in the corners of his eyes,

"Don't cry..." she said, "I'm happy, and I will always be here for you, regardless...I promise. I'm not going anywhere, and my mind and heart will never change. I don't regret this, I only regret not doing this sooner."

"Ruby...if I can find a way..."

"Don't endanger your relationship with Zinnia just to please me, Alex..." she interrupted, "Just having you hear, standing by my side, is enough to make me happy..." and she placed her forehead against his, squeezing her eyes shut, "I love you, and I always will."


	34. Chapter XXXIII: Second Chances

_**Chapter XXXIII**_ **:**

 **-''Second Chances''-**

 **-Vermilion, Illinois-**

 **- _29 December 2016_ -**

 **- _2019 Hours_ -**

Having spent Christmas with her family, Zinnia decided to return to the states and spend New Years with her _fianc_ _é_ and his family. Upon arriving, instantly passing her soon-to-be-husband a wrapped gift and a tender kiss, he stepped aside to let her into the house. Almost instantly, her eyes snapped to the human Ruby, sitting on the love seat, dressed in a soft, light blue, hand-me-down dress, her hands folded in her lap. "Who's this?" she asked.

"Zinnia..." Alex began, taking Ruby's hand and helping her to stand, "You might not recognize her but..."

"It's me," Ruby replied with a shy smile, "Ruby."

"Ruby?" Zinnia began in surprise, "Never thought to see you human..."

The girl blushed, "Well, I wasn't expecting this to actually _work_."

"Does this mean that you and Alex are..."

"No," the Commander replied, "You are still my _fiancé_ , Ruby understands and accepts this."

Guilt overtaking her mood, the French girl turned towards the newly-transformed, former dolphin, frowning unhappily. "Are you sure, Alex?"

"I'm fine," Ruby said with a smile, "Really, I am."

Zinnia frowned towards her _fiancé_ , but otherwise said nothing, only sighed and took a seat on the couch. Alex observed her reaction, but his feelings were mixed. Again, he turned to face Ruby, recalling the conversation they had shared several days earlier. He longed for her, wanted only for _her_ to be his wife, and he, too, was overwhelmed with guilt. She had been nothing but good to him, she had sacrificed her entire identity to be with him, and yet he was up a creek without a paddle. He felt Zinnia's hand close over his, and he knew that her feelings were as mixed as his. His heart rested with Ruby, but he was too far in to pull out now.

"Alex, I..." but her voice trailed and she fell silent, only looking down in shame.

"So," Alex's mother began, completely oblivious (or uncaring) to her son's inner torment, "How was the trip? Did you have fun?"

"I had a blast..." Zinnia replied, "Got kinda boring and lonely though."

While his mother questioned his _fianc_ _é_ , Alex leaned back on the couch,eyes never leaving Ruby. The other girl seemed not to notice, casually conversing with Dash and Cynder. "Dad?" Azazel said softly beside him, handing Alex his newborn son and a warm bottle. While Alex fed his dolphin son, Zaz scampered onto the couch, curling around his adopted father and clutching the Commander's shirt sleeve in his small, furry hands, "Are you and mom ever gonna be together?"

"I don't know..." Alex replied, "I'm lost, and I don't quite know what to do."

"You two still love each other, right?"

"Of course, we've both done things for each other, hoping to keep things going between us. It's Fate that keeps fucking everything up."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, Zaz," and the Commander turned to face his adopted son, wearing a sad expression, "Don't leave mom...she needs you, she loves you, and even though she doesn't act like it, she's really, really lonely."

"I know," Alex said, "She gave away everything to be with me."

"I know you and Zinnia are not actually getting married for real, but can you at least consider marrying mom instead? She's not a dolphin anymore, they'll let you now."

"I know, Zaz..." the Commander replied, distracted as he gently stroked his son's coal-black, smooth, warm flesh, "I know..."

Alex stepped outside into the cold, quiet night to have a smoke, is hands trembling with stress. "Alex..." Zinnia began, joining him out on the stoop, "We need to talk."

"I agree," he replied, "About Ruby."

"Yes," she agreed, nodding before continuing, nervously twisting the ring on her finger, "Listen, Alex. I...I don't think I can do this anymore. I feel so guilty, and I feel like I cheated Ruby by stealing you away from her," she sat down on the stoop, resting her head on her knees, "Ruby...was always there for you, always there to take care of you...to keep you safe. I've talked to Cyn and Dash," she sighed, turning to face her future husband, "I...I left you, I walked away when you needed me most, and I left because I was scared. I was scared that you would try to hurt me like the LKA did, and I was scared of loving you. I walked away when you needed me most, and I wasn't there for you..." she slid it off then, glancing at it briefly before pressing it into Alex's hand, kissing his mouth and looking away in shame. "Ruby loves you, so much that she threw away all that she ever knew to be with you...that's something that I would have never done. _She_ deserves to be with you, she deserves you, and you deserve _her_."

"What about mom?"

"Fuck her! I look at Ruby, and I see a girl who has fallen in love for the first and _only_ time in her life, someone who was lucky enough to find their soul mate, and who waited _patiently_ for him to be her Prince Charming. She was there for you when I wasn't...and if she wants to bear your children...to spend the rest of her life with you...who am I to stop her? Who am I to get in the way of your happiness?"

"What about you? Will you leave again?"

Zinnia shook her head, "No..." she smiled sadly, "I will never leave you again...and I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I don't deserve you... _Ruby_ deserves you, and you deserve to be happy with the one you love more than life itself. I promise that there is no animosity in this, and I sincerely hope we can still be friends, Alex...just not lovers."

Alex said nothing, only fingered the ring in the palm of his hand.

"Be with Ruby, give that ring to her and _take_ her as your wife...I still love you, and I hope that, at least in some way or another, you still love me, too."

Finally, Alex spoke, handing the ring back to the French girl, "I've got a better idea...it's my turn to surprise _her_."

"What are you thinking?"

"Give this to her, make it seem like you're doing this out of pity, in order for my plan to work, she needs to be 100% convinced that you and I are still going through with this."

"I don't want to break her heart, Alex...she's already been beaten down and broken enough times already."

"You won't," he smiled, "I promise...will you do this for me, Zinnia?"

Finally, reluctantly, the girl agreed, "Yes but...if she starts crying..."

"Cheer her up, I promise that, when everything is said and done, she will be the happiest girl alive."

"Good," Zinnia replied, "She deserves that... _you_ deserve that."

"Hey, Ruby?" Zinnia began, approaching the girl once she had a chance to without attracting anyone else's attention.

"Zinnia," Ruby smiled, "Something wrong?"

"Do you think we could talk for a moment? In private?"

Her smile slowly decayed, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." the French girl replied.

"Is it about Alex? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Zinnia replied, "I just want to talk about something."

Ruby glanced around before turning to face the French girl again, wearing a concerned expression, nodding, "Sure..."

"So what's going on?" Ruby asked, both girls walking outside in the backyard. The wind had stopped blowing for a moment, the calm before another storm, and the world was alight in the glow of the Northern Lights in the clear, starry skies above.

"I wanted to...apologize."

"About what?"

"About taking away your mate..." Zinnia replied, facing the girl again.

Ruby smiled sadly, but shrugged, "Cynder was right. I should have said something when I have the chance, and it's no one else's fault but my own. Just, please take care of him for me."

"I will..." then, reaching into her pocket, Zinnia continued, "I want to give you something..." and she removed the ring, placing it in Ruby's hand, "Alex means a lot to you...and even though I might have taken him...I think you at least deserve to have this, if anything so you still have a memento of your past together."

"What will he say if he finds out?"

"I'll explain myself..." Zinnia chuckled, "It's just a piece of metal and diamond to me...to you, it might have much more sentimental value. I've never been one to treasure jewelry, and I _know_ that you will take care of it."

"It's his mom's ring..."

"Yes, but if I give it back to her, she might think that I'm some kind of greedy, uncaring bitch...and I don't want to hurt his relationship with her anymore than I already have."

"You didn't ruin it," Ruby sighed, "I did..."

"Don't blame yourself, Ruby..." Zinnia continued, "She's just...one of those kinds of people."

Ruby glances at the ring again before slowly and gently slipping it onto her finger, examining it in the light of the nighttime sky, "Can I be completely honest with you, and you promise not to get mad?"

"Of course, Ruby."

Her eyes began to water, "I wish that he loved me like he loves you...and I'm jealous...I want so bad to be in your place."

"Who knows...maybe you'll get lucky someday."

"Not unless something happens to you."

"Marriages dissolve all the time, for the most random of reasons."

"I don't even know what I was thinking, to be honest. What would becoming human change? He loved me for who I was...and I completely threw away who I was for this. I miss him, Zinnia, I miss the way our love used to be, I miss the way he would smile at me, I miss waking up to see him curling around me...I miss the way he held me when we mated, the way he kissed me...I want nothing more than to go back to those days."

"Don't lose hope, Ruby..." Zinnia said, placing a comforting hand on the distraught girl's shoulder, " _Never_ lose hope."

"I miss him, Zinnia..." the girl said, sniffling, "I just...I just wanted him to be happy. All I did was make a stupid mistake and now he doesn't love me anymore."

"Don't say that...he loves you, more than you realize..." and Zinnia through an arm around the other girl's shoulders, half-hugging her and letting her cry. When at last Ruby had regained some of her composure, she only stared in silence towards the ring on her finger, stroking it lovingly, affectionately. There really was a lot of sentimental value between Ruby ad Alex, and Zinnia felt even more awkward and intrusive than ever before. She even began to tear up when Ruby gently kissed the stone set into the silver loop's surface, as if it was the last piece of Alex's love for her that remained...

Zinnia only hoped that his plan worked...

Heading back inside, distraught and leaving the heartbroken Ruby outside, Zinnia unsuspectingly slammed into Akumi, knocking them both onto the ground. "Shit! Sorry!" the French girl exclaimed, quickly standing up and helping the Japanese girl onto her feet.

"It's fine..." Akumi replied, then, "What's going on? I saw you and Ruby head out, everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Zinnia sighed, "Just...Ruby's taking this really hard right now."

"Really? She doesn't seem to care too much."

"Ruby's not one to exactly _express_ her emotions in full. I mean, she can get extremely emotional, but she still bottles up a lot of her feelings...my guess is out of fear of repercussion from Piermont or Spyro..." Zinnia sighed, "I feel so bad for her, Akumi."

"Why?"

"She's so lonely...all she wants is for Alex to take her as his wife...a position that I'm just about ready to rescind."

"That's quite a sacrifice...giving up your boyfriend for another girl."

"Ruby means a lot to Alex, and Alex means a lot to me. Plus, poor girl's had a rough life, it's time she finally has some closure."

"What are you gonna do? You gonna leave him?"

"Thinking about it, hopefully on good terms..." then, "Eh...don't worry about it. Just...relationship stuff, things you probably wouldn't understand."

"What?" Akumi began in light humor, "Just because I don't have a boyfriend, you automatically assume that I don't know what it's like to be caught in an awkward love triangle with someone you love?"

"You know?"

"Well, I've been in relationships before...then found myself treated like absolute shit because people are selfish and ungrateful."

"Want to talk about it?"

Akumi shrugged, "Not important."

"Anything I can do about it?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Hey, I know about boy trouble, girl," Zinnia chuckled, trying to cheer her up, "I've had my fair share of boy problems in the past...even if Alex was the only one that things got serious with."

"Yeah, well...it's not about boy trouble."

"What?"

"I...uh...don't quite know how to explain it."

"What? You into girls or something?"

Akumi shrugged, looking away.

"You're bisexual?"

"Lesbian...actually," Akumi replied, "Something I'm not really all that proud of."

"Why not?"

She shrugged, "There's a lot of bad stigmas around it...y'know, I've tried liking guys...I've had _sex_ with guys, but they just...they don't do much for me, you know? They never have."

"So, why haven't you found a girl yet?"

"Because every single one I know is a selfish, elitist bitch. All the good ones, the nice ones, are either taken or straight. I don't really care anymore, if I wanna fuck, I just find a good show online, masturbate to it."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Why?"

"I think everyone deserves to be loved and treated with respect...surely there's someone out there for you."

"Yeah, but..." Akumi sighed, "That's just it..." then, "Nevermind, just...forget I mentioned it."

"No, talk to me."

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're my friend, and I care about you."

"So, you're not like the other girls...think I just want to get into their pants? Like I'm some kind of perverted freak of nature."

"Akumi...I spent most of my childhood having sex with a wolf...I think if _anyone_ 's a perverted freak of nature, it's me. An attraction to girls is probably one of the most _normal_ things I've heard from my friends."

"I'm...sorry to bother you with this. It's really not important..." and she, uncomfortable, got up to leave.

"Hey...I wanna talk. You know you can talk to me right? I don't judge."

Akumi returned to Zinnia's side, saying, "You sure you don't mind?"

"Positive."

Silence for a few moments before Akumi nodded, "All right..." and they passed through the house, unnoticed, heading out onto the front stoop where they sat down together on the porch swing.

"So...the other girls thought you were a freak?"

"When they found out who I was, yeah. The way they found out was fucking stupid, too."

"How?"

"One of my best friends—or so I thought anyway—went to borrow my computer to work on her homework. Stumbled across a few bookmarks I had...she freaked out, called me all kinds of names and told the rest of the school that I liked having sex with girls. Hated my life..." and she glanced at her arms, rolling up her sleeves to reveal a number of cutting scars, "Did all kinds of unspeakable things to myself to deal with the pain. Even tried to kill myself, went to hang myself on the bedroom light...fucking thing broke on me, I hit the floor, and broke my arm.

"They found my scars and I was scolded by my mom. Her boyfriend threatened to disown me, cause not only did they find out about my suicide attempt and the cutting, but word got back to them that I was hot for girls, things _really_ went south then. As much as I hated you guys when I first met you...you saved my life...rescued me from that hell."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry, Zinnia," Akumi spat, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"So...if you don't mind my asking, did you ever find a girl you had a crush on?"

"Ha...uh...yes and no."

"Yes and no?"

"It's...hard to explain."

"Well, let me hear it."

"You...really don't."

"Why not?"

"Trust me."

"What? It's not me is it?" Zinnia laughed, but when Akumi seemed less than amused, she sobered, "Oh...I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"That's fine..." Akumi chuckled, "I'm not going to push anything."

"I'm kind of old for you though, don't you think?"

"Pfft...age is just a number," Akumi waved off.

Zinnia frowned, sitting back, "Yeah..."

"What's wrong? I didn't offend you, did I?"

"It's just that..." the French girl shook her head, "The last time I heard that..." she rubbed her arm, "It was shortly before my drill sergeant molested me back at the LKA."

"You were molested?"

Zinnia nodded, "I was a child soldier, much like Alex...the generals of the LKA—this army I was forced into after being kidnapped—they were depraved sons of bitches. All of the girls were forced to line up, nude, for daily 'inspections', we would often be raped repeatedly, too. It was because of this that I began to see sex as a way to calm myself and relax...when the wounded wolf cub I had adopted grew older and went into heat...I...yeah."

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to offend you."

Zinnia chuckled, "Don't worry about it. You need to laugh at trauma to stay sane..." then, "How about this...if you will wait until you're older, I'll sleep with you."

"R...Really?"

"Yes," Zinnia replied, "Really."

"You mean it?"

Zinnia nodded.

"You don't have to..."

"Maybe I want to."

"What about you and Alex?"

Zinnia thought about it for a few moments before saying, "I...broke it off."

"What? Why?"

"I feel really guilty about what Ruby did. I would have rejected Alex's proposal if I would have known she was planning to do this for him."

"It's not _your_ fault," Akumi frowned, "Ruby should have told him when she saw you two getting close. You two aren't exactly _subtle_."

"I don't blame her," Zinnia replied, "Alex hasn't been really pushing for a human partner until recently...like after he got arrested."

" _What_!? He served time?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"Well, the feds finally caught up to him. He was arrested for his relationship with Ruby and Cynder, bestiality is illegal, and a felony in Montana—where we lived before your dad chased us out of town."

Akumi frowned, "That's bullshit. If two people love each other, they should be able to date and have sex. Who cares about the gender, species, or age?"

"Well, you know...the world's views on sexuality are extremely outdated...like its views on us women. We're making progress but...you can't rush it. Besides, Alex and Ruby are a special case. Most animals aren't aware of themselves, so being sexually exploited by a human being is both hurting and taking advantage of them."

"Still bullshit."

"Well, you can catalyze change, but it won't happen overnight. It takes time and tolerance from both parties involved.

They fell silent then, cuddling against each other for warmth, watching the dancing lights in the sky.

At last, Akumi said, "So...when _do_ you think we can...y'know..."

"How about on your 18th birthday," Zinnia chuckled, "I mean, c'mon, I'm twenty-five, you're fifteen, there's quite an age difference there."

"I can consent."

"No you can't."

"And who's gonna report us? My mom's dead, my dad's gonna be dead soon, and your parents probably won't find out."

"Well, there's Alex's crazy mom."

"Damn it..." Akumi frowned, but she was silence when Zinnia kissed her mouth.

"There," the French girl said with a smile, "That'll have to do, because that's as far as I'm going for now."

Akumi scowled, but begrudgingly accepted, and the two were suddenly interrupted as Alex stepped outside onto the stoop, lighting another cigarette, "Not interrupting anything, am I?" he asked.

"No," Zinnia replied, "Just talking."

"You seen Ruby?"

"Last I saw her, she was in the backyard."

"Did you give her the thing?"

"Yep."

"Thanks."

"No problem..." and the trio stood outside, awkwardly, for a few minutes before Zinnia stood up, stretching, "My ass is cold, I'm heading back inside."

"Right behind you," Akumi replied, standing and straightening her black sweater.

"See you guys," Alex replied, waving them off, and they exchanged goodbyes before the two girls head back into the house, moving aside to allow Cynder to join her human mate on the stoop.

"What's up, Cynder?" he asked.

"Ruby just came in," the she-dragon replied, "Wanna explain to me why she's wearing your wedding ring? Did Zinnia leave you?"

Alex hushed her, "We have a plan, but for it to work, Ruby needs to remain convinced that Zinnia and I are still getting married."

"Was it a lowkey proposal?" Cynder asked, then she smiled warmly, "Aww...that's so cute!"

"Yeah, well...we'll see."

Silence for a few moments before, "Ruby really means a lot to you."

"Of course, you know that, I've never been secretive about that. I just...I wish she would have told me about her plan before I proposed to Zinnia."

It's not like your engagement was real...she was a beard for you and Ruby anyway, right? Now that Ruby's human, you can drop the facade and marry her for real, it would _really_ mean a lot to her if you did. She loves you, and she's sacrificed all of this to _be_ with you...I think she's more than deserving of it."

"I know," he replied, "I feel the same way...and that's the plan. I'm going to surprise her, on my wedding day, when I call _her_ up to the altar instead of Zinnia. Both Zinnia and I came up with this plan."

"That's sweet, Alex...and it would really mean a lot to her."

"She's suffered long enough...I think it's time she's happy for once."

Cynder nodded, smiling warmly, "I agree."

"Promise me, though, that you and I can still be together though..."

Cynder chuckled, "Honey...my body is yours, whenever you want it. It's not like you're sharing with Spyro anymore."

The Commander affectionately scratched his dragonian mate's head, and she nuzzled his chest, purring contentedly.

"I'm glad that you are going to fulfill Ruby's dream. She's been chasing it for so long, she's been chasing the _impossible_ for so long...I think she more than deserves it."

"I love her, Cyn...she means the world to me."

"I know...and it's obvious."

"Thank you, Cyn," he said, breaking the contact.

"What for?"

"For keeping Ruby and I together...you've done a lot to help with damage control on both sides of the spectrum...you don't know how much that means to me."

"I want nothing more than to see you happy, Alex...Ruby, too. You're my two best friends...and I love you both."

Silence fell between them, with Cynder's purring intensifying. She rested her head on his lap, warming him considerably almost instantly—her body radiated heat like a furnace. Something, however, seemed different about her, it _felt_ different. There was an electric feeling in the air, something that seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't identify. Almost instantly, he stiffened as an electric jolt shot through his body, and he locked eyes with Cynder, who also seemed to be in a state of shock. Something was wrong, and they could both sense it.

The Commander suddenly felt impulsed to reach out towards the dragoness, and as he extended a hand towards her, she placed her forehead into his hand. A searing pain shot through his body, almost crippling, and he cried out in pain, falling back and clutching his burning hand. Cynder, too, recoiled with a pained exclamation. Alex writhed upon the ground, horrific, vivid memories that weren't his own firing through his brain at a rapid pace. In vivid, nauseating detail, Cynder's furthest memories played out before his eyes.

 _The Choosing_!? he thought against the onslaught, _But...how? Impossible!_

At last, the pain resided, and Alex lay a crumpled heap upon the ground, groaning in pain and clutching his burning hand. In the dismal moonlight, his eyes widened as he saw that his ancient bonding scar with Piermont had been mutilated and warped. A _new_ scar had been fused with the old, and in addition to the bass-clef-like sign that marked the point of first contact between him and the slain Forest Dragon, several new designs and scars illustrated it. Each of the curves were now barbed, with odd, runic slashes and symbols tangling with the old scar. He scrambled onto his feet once he had gained his breath, and was surprised to see Cynder laying, unconscious, in the snow, the white powder around her head stained dark.

"Cynder..." he sighed, "No...no, no, no, _NO!_ CYNDER!" he ran towards his dragonian mate, rolling her onto her back. Her body was limp and light a brilliant brand mirroring the one on his hand, now adorned her forehead, and blood dripped profusely from the wound, splattering onto the ground, "Cynder..." he cried, tears rising to his eyes as she shook her limp form, "Cynder...oh God, Cynder...please wake up...wake up! HELP!" he cried, "Somebody, please help!"

Another wave of pain tore through his body, and he collapsed to the ground once again, screaming at the onslaught, laying in the snow, writhing spastically beside his mate's unconscious form. More horrific memories flooded through his mind as he continued to relive the she-dragon's storied past, laid out before him in gruesome detail: from her earliest memories of hatching, to her tenure as Malefor's prisoner, to her reunion with Spyro, her capture by the _Maxia_ and subsequent rescue from them by both of her future mates. He read her private thoughts and saw, before him, both Spyro and himself in the same, glorified, almost idyllic and heavenly filter that she did. During his trip through her life, he watched, from her point of view, as she and Spyro consummated their relationship by the side of the pool deep underground, before being swept away to when she had seduced Alex. In horror, he watched Spyro's slow and steady descent into mistrust and madness as her self-doubts and insecurities slowly overcame her pride and self-image, worn down by Spyro's jealousy at her relationship to Alex—even though he had originally approved of it. He watched as she sought an escape from her suffering, abusing herself to relieve the pain of losing her human mate, stomaching the constant abuse of Spyro, even as she tried to maintain an optimistic view to keep Ruby in high spirits, confiding in the dolphin to help her through such a difficult time.

It was here that he realized just what Cynder had done for him, things he hadn't even realized. She had worked hard to keep Alpha Company together when everything seemed to fall apart, she fought her own inner demons in silence and solitude—much worse than those of her comrades, at the same time as she sought to protect the rest of her friends and family from their own, much lesser ones. When at last, Alex returned to the present day, he sat up, staring at his dragonian mate in wonder. He felt so blessed to have been able to know her, to befriend her...and she was one of the most selfless people he had ever known, refusing to flaunt it about. She took care of her family—the only one she really had—because she loved them, because her heart was pure, and despite everything, despite the saturating darkness, she could see the light...she was a beacon of hope, and she refused to be anything else. Alpha Company was her family, and she felt responsible to keep them all together, even in the darkest of times.

"Cynder..." he said, resting a hand against her muzzle, before he collapsed at her side, burying his head into her neck.


	35. Chapter XXXIV: The Fall of Windhelm

_**Chapter XXXIV**_ **:**

 **-''The Fall of Windhelm''-**

 **-Vermilion, Illinois-**

 **- _01 January 2017_ -**

 **- _2302 Hours_ -**

Cynder awoke with a start, gasping for breath.

"Hey!" Alex, kneeling beside her, exclaimed, trying to shush and calm the hysterical dragon, "Shh! Shh...it's okay, Cyn. I'm here! It's okay, I'm here..."

"A-Alex..." she began, eyes wide with fright, "Wh-What happened!?"

"Calm down, Cyn..." he whispered, "Please...everything's fine, I just need you to remain calm."

"What happened to me? Why does my head hurt and..." her eyes widened as she saw his hand, tightly woven in bloodied bandages, "What happened to _you_!?"

"Listen, Cyn...I need you to listen to me...because this is probably gonna fuck you up but..." he sighed, "You and I...we bonded."

"What?"

"Somehow, you and I formed a dragonrider bond, I don't know _how_ , but we did."

"I-I thought riders only bond with one dragon!"

"And I thought that Realm dragons didn't bond at all..." he replied, then, "Are you okay?"

"Th-Those images...those things I saw.." she shook her head, on the edge of panic.

Alex frowned bitterly, "What you saw was my life...my origins...every bit of it. Now, if you would kindly not tell everyone else about it, I'd much appreciate it."

"Did you see mine...?"

"Yes," Alex replied, and he smiled towards his dragonian mate, scratching her neck, trying to calm her, "Cyn...you and I formed a dragonrider bond..." he shook his head, "I...I don't believe it..."

"How?"

"I don't know..." he shrugged, "Maybe because of our mated relationship...it somehow managed to force a bond on us..."

"You and I...we're _actually_ bonded...?"

"Yes," Alex replied with a smile, kissing her head, "Yes...and let me tell you, it's gonna be weird. I might have experimented jacking Piermont off when we were kids but...eh...I never found myself balls deep in my bonded dragon..." then, "I wanted to thank you..."

"What for?"

"When I saw your memories...I saw everything you did...for Alpha Company, for Ruby...for me. I never thanked you for any of that stuff."

"I love you, Alex..." she responded, "You and the rest of Alpha...you are my family...you're the _only_ family have left...you and my kids."

Alex hugged his dragonian mate, kissing her, "Thank you, so much, Cynder...thank you for being a part of my family."

"She's awake?" Terrias asked, suddenly steeping into the living room from outside, "Awesome, now what the _fuck_ happened, Cyn. We've already heard Alex's take on it."

"Apparently..." the dragoness began, shaking her head, "Somehow I formed a bond with him."

"Maybe the love between you two was so strong that it made you bond," Zinnia suggested, her arms crossed at her chest. She entered the room from outside, the rest of the unit in tow.

"That's what I just said," Alex replied, wincing as he flexed his injured hand.

"Does that mean I have the scar on my forehead?" Cynder asked, and Ruby hurried off, deeper into the house, returning a few seconds later with a mirror which she held before the she-dragon's eyes, "Oh my God..."

"You're not the only one..." Alex replied, hissing as he tore off the bloody bandages around his hand, showing her the new bonding scar now branded into his bloody hand.

"And Alex Vaughn proves even _more_ that he's unlike any other person living today," Terrias chuckled.

"Shut up..." Alex growled, then turning to Cynder again, gently caressing her side, "If I'm going to be blessed with a second chance..." he smiled, "I'm glad it was with you, Cyn."

"It hurts..." the dragoness hissed, lowering her head once again.

"It will, for awhile," Alex replied, "But soon, it'll go away. I remember that Piermont..." his voice broke, trailing off for a few seconds before gaining stronger, "I remember that Piermont was incapacitated for a couple of weeks after the Choosing...this is obviously a much different scenario. Riders don't bond twice, and Realm dragons don't bond at all...something else triggered the bond, and I believe Zinnia when she says that it might have been because you and I are mates."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I," Alex replied, hissing through clenched teeth as he cleaned his wounded hand and tied a fresh bandage to it, "Are you okay, Cyn?"

"I'm in pain but...you said it won't last long?"

"It shouldn't, no...but then again most riders don't get more than one dragon to bond with, so I don't know for sure."

She lightly punched him and he grabbed her paw, kissing it, "What? You have a foot fetish, now?" she chuckled.

"Maybe..." he replied with a wink, gently caressing her face and glancing up to smile towards Ruby and Zinnia, standing next to each other.

"I'm curious..." Ruby began, "Does the bond feel...real?"

He nodded, "Yes...it feels like it did with Piermont...only this one is stronger, more intimate...and the one I shared with him was intimate enough."

"We share a mind..." Cynder said, "It feels so strange..."

"You'll get used to it," Alex replied, "That's typical of dragonrider bonds."

"I bet mating pleasure is extremely intense between a dragon and their rider..." Ruby said, blushing.

"I wouldn't know," Alex replied, "Piermont and I never did anything like _that_."

"We'll find out soon enough, I'm sure of that," Cynder grinned.

"Indeed we shall..." then, righting himself, "Anyway, you should try to relax and take it easy, I know that a dragon bonding can be exhausting."

"What are you going to do?"

Alex shrugged, "Not really sure, probably get ready for bed."

"Can you stay with me tonight?"

"You're in no shape to mate, Cyn, and we don't have privacy," he chuckled.

"No..." she replied, "Not to mate...I just want to cuddle with you...to feel close to you. I know it sounds silly, but..." she blushed, "It would make me a very happy girl."

"And so it begins," Terrias chuckled.

"Shut up," Alex replied in a light tone, "She'll get tired of me in a few days."

"Yeah...'cept this isn't your typical dragonrider bond."

"Before you go," Cynder suddenly said, "Would you mind helping me get up to pee?"

"Feeling weak?"

She nodded, "I don't know what that...thing...did to me, but I've never felt so exhausted and miserably in my life."

"That will pass...your body and mind are getting acclimated to the intimacy of being bonded with a rider...as you can see, a dragonrider bond is a little more personal than a mating one."

"Which is why I personally think that a shared dragonrider AND mating bond would be extremely tight," Terrias said, "I'm curious to see how that plays out."

"Well, I'll keep you updated, how does that sound?"

"Love it," Terrias grinned, clapping his friend on the back, "Sounds like a deal."

Once Alex had showered and dressed, exiting out into the rest of the house, he found it quiet, the lights dark, and everyone asleep. The only light illuminating the living room-turned-makeshift infirmary was the fire burning in the stove in the corner, and he could see, near the fire, Cynder sleeping peacefully, the light reflecting off of her beautiful scales. Ruby slept near the she-dragon, cradling hers and Alex's son, and the Commander smiled, thinking that the two must have grown used to sleeping together. Zinnia and Akumi entered the house from outside, both wearing awkward expressions upon seeing the half-nude Commander standing before them, but he merely shrugged, throwing on his undershirt and jeans and grabbing a thick, wooly blanket from the pile stacked near the fire. He made himself a small bed on the floor between Ruby and Cynder, laying down and wrapping himself in the covers. Soon after, he could feel Cynder shift positions, extending one of her wings over Alex, Ruby, and their son, providing them warmth and darkness. Instantly, he was surrounded in the wild, but calming, smell of the she-dragon, a perfume that he was quite used to by now, and he curled against her warm belly, gently pulling Ruby closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her, gently scratching his son's dorsal fin, and he could feel Cynder's belly begin to vibrate, her purring growing louder and louder.

In the comfort of his closest family, he found sleep easy to come by, whisking him away to a warm, inviting darkness. No dreams surfaced in his mind, but neither did any nightmares, and he was more than happy to see this. Accompanied by Ruby's gentle breathing, his son's warm, smooth flesh, and Cynder's purring and natural odor, he finally drifted off, sleeping more peacefully and deeply than he had in years.

Upon his awakening, Alex found the she-dragon curled completely around him, her head resting on his head. He gently scratched the base of her horns, and she opened one sapphire-emerald eye, smiling lovingly towards her mate and bonded rider. She stretched out, allowing him to wriggle free from beneath her, and he leaned against her warm flank, scratching her very warm, lower belly, summoning even louder and deeper purring. Everybody else in the house had awoken, but Alex's father and mother had gone to work for the day, leaving the Commander home alone with his siblings. Blake instantly flapped towards him, perching on his shoulder, and he gently pet the eaglet as he relaxed against his dragonian mate. Ruby sat down beside him, feeding their son with a bottle, and she curled against her mate, sighing happily, "It felt nice sleeping next to you again," she said.

"Felt kinda weird to me," he chuckled, "Was expecting to feel a dolphin in my arms, not a girl."

"Thank you for sleeping with me," Ruby smiled, "It really means a lot."

"Well..." he chuckled, " _You_ mean a lot to me, Ruby."

"Yeah..." she replied with a sigh, "I just wish I could have gotten to you sooner."

"Cheer up, Ruby...who knows what the future will hold. Just because I'm marrying Zinnia _now_ doesn't mean that, someday in the future, it might be _you_ that I take to the altar."

"I don't want to get between you two...so please don't drop her just for me. She's a nice girl, she doesn't deserve that."

"So are you."

Ruby shrugged, "I had my chance, and I didn't take it."

"Well...we all make mistakes, don't beat yourself up over it. Maybe Zinnia will be willing to share and she'll let me spend some time with you every once in awhile..." he glanced towards Cynder, "I mean, I already have the queerest feeling that things are about to get much more frequent between Cyn and I..."

The dragoness grinned, kissing her mate, "Which I am _perfectly_ fine with."

"So am I."

"I would consider you as well, Ruby," Cynder began, "But...uh...think that may be considered bestiality now."

"Why would that stop me? Why would that stop _you_?" Ruby replied, "Alex does it all the time, obviously _he_ doesn't really care much about it, and what about you and him?"

"Damn, Alex...why are you such a bad influence?" Terrias suddenly said, "Naughty, naughty boy."

"Fuck you," Alex grinned, "Ain't my fault people decided to copy me."

"Here? Now? Not really very private is it?"

Alex shrugged, "Well, I'm sure we can find somewhere to go, if you _really_ wanted to."

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you guys?" Kyle complained.

Alex and Terrias exchanged glances, both shrugging before the servine responded, "We like sex. Sex is fun."

"You guys are messed up."

"Don't knock it till you try it."

"I'll pass, thanks."

Once Cynder was up and active again, Alpha Company said their goodbyes and departed, heading back to the Gothics. Alex rode upon Cynder's back, Ruby sitting behind him, her hands wrapped around his waist, and he was happy to see how things seemed to be going now. Bonded with Cynder, the love of his life now human, it seemed that things were finally starting to turn around, that his luck was finally improving. As they soared through the skies, he scratched Cynder's flank, overwhelmed with love for the she-dragon and thoroughly enjoying Ruby's contact with him.

 _Glad to see you two so happy,_ Cynder thought to her human mate, _It's been a long time since you two have been so happy together._

 _She seems to be comfortable with herself...for the first time in her entire life...she's actually_ happy _._

 _She's with you,_ the dragoness replied, _There is no greater feeling than being in the arms of the ones you love. She's happy because she's with_ you _._

 _Do you feel the same?_

Cynder began to purr, _Always_... then, _What are you going to do about her? Is there any way you can make a deal with Zinnia?_

Alex chuckled, _Zinnia and I talked about it..and when the time comes..._ he smiled towards Ruby, who affectionately nuzzled him, burying her head in his shoulder, _Let's just say that I won't be waiting for_ Zinnia _at the altar._

 _You two are going to get married?_ Cynder crooned.

Alex only smiled, _her entire life has only been one hell after another. Her patience and loyalty has been tried time and time again...she's proven herself and her love, and just like in the story of Patient Griselda, it's time that Ruby is finally rewarded._

 _You will make her a_ very _happy wife, and_ you _will make a wonderful husband._

 _I only hope I will, Cyn...I only hope I will._

 _Don't worry,_ Cynder smiled, _You will._

At last, Alpha Company finally landed in the heart of Windhelm, the Commander looking around with a sigh, "Back to frozen hell..." and he gently stroked the dog tags on his neck and dangling against his heart, weighed heavily down with the tags of each of the brothers he had lost since Alpha's founding many years earlier, "And our little family only gets smaller..." he then turned towards Ruby, cradling the sleeping Gabriel in her arms, the dolphin calf bundled tightly in heavy blankets to keep the small creature warm against the permeating chill of the Gothics' coldest region, "Well, with _one_ fresh new face among us..." and he scratched the calf's dorsal fin, the critter exhaling a puff of air from his tiny blowhole.

"Back from your vacation already, Commander?" Ulfric began, descending from the steps of his palace to greet the returning Alpha Company.

"Minus a few members..." Alex sighed.

"My deepest apologies."

"There was no other way."

"I trust you made the best choice you could..." and he approached the human Ruby, "And who may this be?"

"It's me, Ruby," the girl smiled, "A little bit of magic turned me into a human...like Alex."

"I see," Ulfric responded, then he glanced into he arms to see the bundle she held against her breast, "And who is this?"

"Our son," Alex replied.

"A beautiful creature..." the Jarl responded, "You will make a wonderful father, Commander."

"I appreciate that, Ulfric."

"If you need anything, you know where to find me," and he turned to head back inside.

"Will do."

Alex awoke to heavy knocking on the front door.

With a groan, he blinked his eyes open, grunting beneath his breath as he tried to sit up, finding Ruby, wearing only a silky, white bra and soft, childishly-patterned panties, curled against him, resting her head on his bare chest. He wormed his way out from beneath her, climbing out of bed and stumbling towards the door leading out into the dark, armory hall. Clad only in an undershirt and boxers, he quickly jogged down the squeaky wooden stairs, peering through the peephole outside and opening the door to see Dante standing outside, two Windhelm soldiers standing to either side, "Commander Vaughn," the man began, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but Ulfric request your presence immediately."

"Everything okay?"

"No," Dante replied, already walking away, "Something has come up."

Awakening and gathering the rest of his unit, sans Ruby who stayed to care for Gabriel and Blake, Alex and Alpha Company hurried across Windhelm's slowly-dawning, ancient cityscape towards the towering palace at the base of the mountain around which the crumbling city had been erected. Immediately upon entering the warm dampness of the palace's grand hall, he found Ulfric already chatting with his generals, the Jarl glancing up to acknowledge the winded Commander with a nod, "Apologies for rousing you, Commander."

"What's wrong?"

"Imperial soldiers have been spotted marching towards our city...the force is large, and they appear to be outfitted with superior weaponry."

"Fucking hell...is it Sonichu again?" Terrias growled.

"The Whiterun guards have said the soldiers have demons dispersed within their formations—skeletal beings made entirely of shadow."

"Shit...it's _Filios Diaboli_ ," Elijah scowled.

"Where are they now?" Alex asked.

"Approaching the city from the west, I already have the guards at the walls in preparation for the attack. The citizens of my city have been evacuated into the tunnels beneath Windhelm, I ask if you and your men can be there on the front lines to help us defend our home."

"Of course, Jarl Ulfric," Alex replied, "Where do you want us?"

"Meet with Dante at the south gate, he will give you orders. I will be there shortly."

With a nod and a bow, the Commander turned on his heels and marched out of the palace, almost immediately shoved aside by guards and soldiers rushing past him from the barracks, racing towards the gates. Instead of heading there, the Commander detoured through the adjacent cemetery, and Terrias asked, "Uh...where are we going?"

"I'm going to warn Ruby," the Commander replied sternly, "Make sure she and my son get somewhere safe... _Filios Diaboli_ is almost surely coming for them...I won't let them hurt her. Zinnia?"

"Yes, Alex?"

"I need you and Terrias to stay behind and keep an eye on her."

"Fuck that!" the servine scowled, shoving the Commander aside and standing between him and the route ahead, "I'm not going to leave you out there _alone_ , Alex!"

"Please, Terrias...I don't want to fight. You and Zinnia are the best soldiers I have, I _know_ that you two can keep any enthralled guards or other _Filios Diaboli_ troops away from my family. That's why I'm entrusting their care into _your_ hands. Besides, with the rest of Alpha on my side...I _won't_ be alone."

"But..."

"No _buts_...can I trust you to protect my family or not?"

Terrias fell silent for a few seconds before sighing in exasperation, "God damn it, Alex..."

"Thank you, Terrias," and the servine stepped aside to allow Alex to continue.

Once at the house, Alex handed Terrias one of his AK47's—the one decked in red tigerstripe camouflage—handing the _other_ one—the one in blue tigerstripe—to Zinnia. The Commander said, "They're loaded with incendiary rounds, use them if anyone comes near here. Make sure to block the door."

"Alex..." Ruby suddenly began, appearing in the doorway with a wool blanket draped around her shoulders, "What's going on?"

He silenced her by kissing her mouth, "There's some trouble at the gates that Ulfric wants us to take care of. Terrias and Zinnia will keep you and Gabriel safe. Don't open the door for _anyone_ except me, got it? If guards come around, knocking for evacuation, pretend there's nobody home, who knows if any of _Filios Diaboli_ 's demons infiltrated the guard here. Ruby, make sure you and Gabriel stay barricaded in the master bedroom—it's the most secure place in the room. Terrias, Zinnia, I want _one_ of you to stay there with her, the other watches the door..." and Alex was interrupted by a loud explosion. His head quickly snapped to the left as he saw a fiery orb of light launch from one of Windhelm's trebuchets—entrenched on the palace ramparts—arc across the dark sky and over the walls. "Looks like they're here..." the Commander snarled, and with a whistle, he summoned Blake, who quickly flapped to his shoulder, taking her usual perch upon him. Alex shooed Ruby inside the house once again, "Goodbye, Ruby, I love you," he replied hurriedly before quickly turning around and running towards the gate, the rest of Alpha Company in tow. Behind him, Terrias closed the yard gate, locking it firmly with a thick, heavy chain he tied around the twisted metal bars before hurrying inside the house, slamming the front door shut, barring it in place with a heavy piece of reinforced spruce.

"How bad do you think it is?" Dash asked.

"Not sure, but I don't want to wait around to find out."

"How the hell did _Filios Diaboli_ find us? We didn't tell anybody where we were going?"

"Yeah? Well Vergil has a way of knowing things..." and they slid to a stop at the gates, barred shut and cluttered with a large group of armed soldiers, ready for combat. Standing on the ramparts above the gate, Dante walked back and forth before the mass, fires burning outside the walls providing an eerie backdrop that almost silhouetted the man.

"Listen up!" he roared in a booming voice, spittle flying from his braided, goatee'd mouth, long, braided, straw-blonde hair laying across his armored shoulders, fierce blue eyes examining the crowd, out from his battlescarred face, peering out from beneath his steel, horned, barbute helmet, matching his dented, battle-worn, steel armor, "Imperial soldiers are marching towards our gates at a rapid pace! They are almost upon us and will be here shortly! These walls are old and crumbling...but they have held strong against years of battle, reinforced by the blood and steel of Nordic hearts who have defended this ancient land against countless eons! The blood of the warrior flows thickly through our bodies! We are men who have been tempered by generations of battle! We will hold strong against these Imperial milk-drinkers who think to slay us! The Gods are watching over us this day, and every man that falls to cold steel shall find the fire in their hearts burning within our own, strengthening our sword and spirit! We will stop at _NOTHING_ to ensure that these ancient walls remain standing for many more eons to go!" he raised his sword and shield to the sky, booming a deafening war cry which was answered by a hearty response from the assembled crowd before him. "For Skyrim!" Dante roared, and the gates pulled open to allow the large crowd to spill out into the hilly plateau upon which Windhelm sat. "Commander!" Dante roared from her perch, "It is good to ride by your side again!"

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Alex replied, clad in the ancient, charred-black, steel-and-chain mail armor of Archangel Messorem, climbing onto Cynder's back as Dante's own dragon landed beneath him, allowing the warrior to drop onto the beast's back. The Commander replaced Messorem's horned, barbute helmet on his head, then drew his _own_ dual, steel swords.

Once more raising his sword into the sky, Dante cheered, "May the Gods harden your flesh! And may your sword stay forever sharp!"

"Ura!" Alex roared, and both men were answered by the simultaneous cries of their mounts, taking to the skies and arching over the walls, flying low to the ground, down the hill, towards the marching Imperial front.

"What's the plan, Alex?" Cynder asked, evading the arrows and catapult projectiles launched towards her by the Imperial army beneath them.

"Douse them in flame, maybe we can clear out some of _Filios Dibaoli_ before the other show up to take 'em on head-to-head."

The she-dragon nodded, "Understood."

Upon completing the first pass, Cynder turned to commence another before being startled by Dante surging past them, joining them in flaming the Imperial forces below. Soon, the rest of the _Commander's Wing_ joined in the fray delivering a constant, continuous burst of flame towards the soldiers below, still holding formation despite the overwhelming odds.

"Strange...I've never seen them so calm under pressure..." Cynder said, glancing over at her rider, "What the hell?"

"Sure _Filios Diaboli_ is feeding their well of strength...most of them might even be enthralled. Keep laying into them, as long as they stay clustered together like that, they make easy prey."

Cynder grinned, "Roger that!" and she dove beneath a volley of arrows fired towards her from below, narrowly missing a catapult projectile, "Well...Looks like their aim is improving!"

"Stay low," Alex replied, "I don't want to lose you, too, Cyn."

"You won't," she replied firmly, dancing with Spyro in the skies as the two dragons continued their onslaught of flame against the steadily approaching infantry below.

"Keep pressuring them! We'll crack 'em eventually!"

"Got it!"

Suddenly, as Dante surged by them, his mount became entrapped in another volley of arrows before a direct hit with a catapult's payload sent the dragon spiraling towards the ground, crashing somewhere on the battlefield below, "Oh _shit_!" Alex hissed, "Watch out, Cynder!"

A loud bang roused the duo from the heat of battle, and they both turned to see an Imperial ram slam repeatedly into the gate, cracking it open. "Oh no..." the she-dragon gasped, "If they get through, we're in trouble!" and she adjusted her path, flying towards the city and opening her maw to flame, hoping to lessen the heat that the city walls felt from the pressuring Imperial forces.

As they flew alongside the walls in a passing run, several Hunters materialized on the ramparts, lunging towards them and latching onto the she-dragon, tearing at her hide. "Fuck!" Alex hissed, using everything at his disposal to dislodge that deadly soldiers and send them plummeting to the ground, where they would be swiftly dispatched by the bloodthirsty defenders. Once all but _one_ of the Hunters had been thrown off, the last one climbed onto the dragoness' back, pouncing upon Alex and slashing at his armored chest, the inhuman creature's arms transforming into bloody, bony blades in a mist of gore. Alex grab the slippery, slimy blades before they could break through his chestplate, hissing and snarling against the stronger beast. Before he could break beneath the Hunter's pressure, however, Cynder's head snapped around and she liberated the Hunter's upper body from his legs, spitting the remains onto the ground below.

"Are you okay?" she asked, muzzled drenched in blood.

"Fine..." Alex replied, reclaiming his breath, "Thanks for that..."

"Always," she responded, turning her attention back towards the combined Imperial and _Filios Diaboli_ forces, stacking up at the city gates and making startling progress on their breach attempt. Despite Cynder's efforts, however, the gates snapped open in a cloud of splinters and twisted metal, the invading party charging into the square to engage the Windhelm guards gathered around. Sluggers shuffled slowly into the city, exploding in a sea of black blood and gore, writhing, oily tentacles slapping, impaling, and quartering anyone who stood in their way.

"Shit..." Alex breathed, eyes widening as he watched the enemy forces tear effortlessly through the defenders, driving deeper into the city.

"We need to do something! Do you have a plan?" Cynder asked, frightened.

"I...I need a moment to think..."

By now, almost every one of the Imperial invaders had been slain, and only _Filios Diaboli_ remained in the invasion force, their numbers only growing. The defenders' weapons did little to harm the overpowering demonic armies, and even under constant fire from Alpha Company and a few other defenders equipped with incendiary weaponry, more _Filios Diaboli_ units seemed to spawn than be depleted, crawling out of suddenly ruptured fissures in the ground, shambling slowly towards the city walls, tanking all the damage thrown their way.

"This isn't good..." Cynder said, "We're screwed if we don't do something..."

"Keep flaming on them!"

"Alex, these buildings won't hold up against dragonfire! I'll end up burning the entire city to the ground!"

"That's our only option! We cannot let _anyone_ reach Ruby or Gabriel!"

"We will sacrifice the city!"

Alex frowned, looking away, "I know..."

"But..."

"Do it!"

Reluctantly, Cynder opened her muzzle, breathing red-hot pillars of flame upon the city. Instantly, the old buildings caught alight in the onslaught, even the _stone_ ignited, and within minutes, the heat and light radiating off of the city was akin to the fires of Hell. From their vantage point, flying above the city, looking down into Windhelm itself was like staring into the mouth of Hell. Faintly, they could hear the cries of soldiers on the streets, burning alive, and Alex knew that beneath the city's stony floor, in the labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs that snaked beneath the city and within the mountain, the evacuated citizens cooked in their stony tombs.

The collapse of the city's walls and the brutal slaughter of most of its defenders and residents enabled the remaining Imperials, along with some reinforcements, to march unfettered into the burning city, cutting down and executing anyone who remained—most of them wounded and incapacitated anyway. Cynder, horrified by what she had done, perched on the walls of the palace, visibly trembling as she tried to come to terms with what had just transpired. Alex remained perch, expression cold and unfeeling as he watched the city burn around him. Directly beneath him, Ulfric stormed out of the palace, swiftly cutting down everyone who marched towards the castle. Alex dismounted Cynder, sliding down the roof to the floor and joining Ulfric in the battle. Briefly, the two fought alongside each other before a catapult projectile smashed into a flying buttress directly above him, the heavy stone remains crashing down nearby, close enough to knock him around. One impact knocked him to the ground, smacking his head against a stone basin, being used as a lamp to illuminate the castle courtyard. Instantly, his vision blurred dangerously towards unconsciousness, and the bowl of fire and kindling fell to the ground beside him, dousing his body and hands in burning ash, soot, and cinders. He screamed as the cinders burned his hands, rolling around to knock the burning fragments off of his body before finally rolling onto his back, watching through a dizzy, colorless haze as Ulfric held his own against countless Imperial soldiers. As he cut them down with his dual-wield swords, bear-pelt cloak waving in the breeze, one soldier slipped behind the man, grabbing his shoulder and thrusting his blade through the Jarl's back. It punched through his chest in a spray of red, and Ulfric merely looked down towards the penetrating, gory steel before it was torn away and he fell to the ground, the snow around his still body suddenly growing red.

"Ulfric..." Alex managed, reaching out towards the fallen Jarl before he was abruptly kicked in the head by the soldier who had executed the man, knocking the Commander all the way into the void of unconsciousness.


	36. Chapter XXXV: To Kill a King

_**Chapter XXXV**_ **:**

 **-''To Kill a King''-**

 **-Windhelm, Skyrim-**

 **- _03 January 2017_ -**

 **- _1010 Hours_ -**

With a groan, Alex slowly came to finding himself bound and gagged. Upon realizing his situation, he lashed out, snarling and trying to tear free of his restraints, but he was held firm and fast. He, as well as several others, had been taken prisoner and were being forced to stand, in a line, on their knees. Directly ahead of him, he could see an Imperial soldier decapitate one of the prisoners, two other soldiers dragging the body away and tossing it into a recently-made mass grave before dragging the next prisoner down the line.

 _Cynder_! Alex thought out, finding the dragoness nowhere to be found, _Cynder, help me!_

Around him, the town smoldered on, the flames having long-since gone out, leaving only the charred, uninhabitable remains of the ancient city. The palace, directly behind him, was fully engulfed in flames, burning brightly and hotly with enough heat to break sweat out on his back. Two more prisoners later, Alex stiffened to see Dante being dragged to the chopping block, bloodied and battered, relieved of his armor and appearing to have heavily tortured, the most pronounced of his wounds being dozens of lashes upon his back, likely done by a cat-o'-nine-tails.

 _Shit!_ Alex thought wriggling against the binds, _Shit, shit,_ SHIT!

Dante spit towards his captors, "You bastards think that by killing me you will end our fight? You can't stop us! My death will only make our hearts stronger! You won't win!"

"Quiet, worm!" the executioner hissed, smashing the hilt of his ax against Dante's head, knocking the man to the ground where he was beat repeatedly by the weapon's hilt. Finally, breathing heavily from multiple fractures, including several compound ones, Dante was lifted once again and forced to kneel before the chopping block.

"Go ahead..." he chuckled, "Do it, fan the flames of our fury...you are only damning yourselves!"

With a nod from who the Commander could only assume was the Imperial captain, leading the invasion party, the executioner brought the two-handed ax high above his head, and Alex looked away, squeezing his eyes shut as the blade liberated the man's head from his body. Opening his eyes again, Alex watched as Dante's body was tossed into the mass grave and the next of the prisoners—three away from the Commander himself—was carried to the block.

 _Damn it..._ Alex frowned, _Where are you guys?_ Again he struggled against his binds, finding that they refused to let up, and he collapsed once again, catching his breath, trying to think. _I need to think of something...I'm running out of time..._

As the line in front of him grew smaller, Alex became increasingly distraught, until only one man remained between him and the headsman. Just as he was about to relinquish his fate, a familiar roar lifted his spirits, and with several powerful wing flaps, Cynder arched over the remains of the city walls, spewing fire down upon the execution yard. She landed in the heart of the plaza, and as the Imperial guards rushed to attack her, Alex violently twisted and tore at his binds, trying to break free. Finally, he managed to free his bionic hand from the binds tying them behind his back, and as he freed his organic hand, he tore off the gag, jumping onto his feet and quickly cutting the other prisoners loose, shooing them away. Retrieving the sword off of a dead Imperial, Alex rushed towards the group surrounding Cynder, cleanly cutting them down. Once the remaining Imperial soldiers scattered, fleeing for their lives, Alex ran to and embraced Cynder, "Thank Christ you showed up!"

"Hey...I'm not about to let my rider get executed," she replied with a smile, kissing her human mate, "Now c'mon! Let's get out of here!"

"Wait! What about the my family?"

"They're safe, staying with the rest of Alpha Company."

"Where?" Alex asked, clambering onto the dragoness' back.

"Rune."

As they flew over the sea dividing Tamriel and the eastern continent of Rune, Alex felt his mind drift from shock and exhaustion. Dante and Ulfric were dead, Windhelm had been conquered by the Imperials, and once more Alpha Company found themselves homeless. Baring his teeth in a snarl, Alex said, "Cynder, turn back."

"What? Why?"

"I'm not going to let this attack go unanswered."

"We'll regroup with the others, then we'll..."

"NO!" Alex roared, "We're going to the capital, and we're going to slaughter every last one of those sons of bitches until they realize that they made the wrong choice deciding to fuck with us!"

With a sigh, Cynder did as she was commanded, turning around to head back towards the mainland, "It's two against thousands..."

Alex chuckled darkly, "No matter...two is all we need. We'll strike so hard and fast they'll have no idea what hit them. Then, the entire Gothics will know what you're asking for when you decide to fuck with Alex Vaughn!"

The skies were clear and blue when the Imperial City appeared on the horizon, Alex felt his blood run hot, boiling deep in his gut. He relished in the imminent chance to let his wrath flood over his foes, and he chuckled darkly at the thought of the gruesome, grisly things he was about to do.

"Alex...are you sure you want to do this?" Cynder asked in an unsure tone, "We'll be out here on our own...if we run into trouble, we're screwed."

"I know," he replied, "You don't have to stick around, I'll deal with this myself."

"I'm not going to leave you down there alone, Alex. You go down, we'll _both_ go down together."

"I love you, Cynder."

"I love you, too, Alex," and the dragoness arched in the skies, descending towards the walls of the distant capital. As the neared the capital, Cynder said with a sigh, "Whenever you're ready..."

"Burn 'em down..." and without another word, Cynder opened her mouth, spewing a tongue of fire upon the ramparts, engulfing the entire expanse in flames. Imperial guards leaped into action to defend, but Alex gave them no time to recover or react, he used his pyrokinesis in tandem with Cynder's flames, ensuring that every inch of the city's perimeter burned hotter than the fires of Hell, "How does it feel!?" Alex roared, "To feel the flames burning the skin off your flesh! How does it feel to realize that you have no chance of stopping us! I won't stop until every single one of you cunts pleads for mercy while I fillet and carve you, your friends, and your family to bloody chunks!"

Cynder could only listen on in horror, distancing herself from the events transpiring, understanding her mate's fury, but also realizing that he was the _real_ monster at this current moment of time. The screams of the dying—most of them civilians—burned into her head, an aura of fear saturated the city, thick enough to be cut with a knife, and yet she could do nothing but watch as Alex channeled his fury against these dangerous, misguided, ignorant fools, likely unknowing of what had happened north of their borders.

When the city was in complete turmoil, the skies darkened by smoke and large, flaring flames casting ghastly shadows upon the wall, Alex dismounted the she-dragon, landing on the cobblestone path and stomping towards the heart of the city, swords drawn. "Please!" a wounded guard cried, crawling away from the Commander, "I have a family...please don't hurt me...!"

"I don't care..." Alex hissed, and he thrust his blade through the man's back, pinning him to the ground. The wounded guard cried out in pain, but Alex only pressed harder, tearing the blade free and leaving the dying man on the ground. Cynder followed from behind, maintaining a wide berth from Alex, only attacking to protect him if someone tried to hurt him. Most of the guards' attention was on her, but she merely tossed them around, unscathed by their attacks.

Upon reaching the very center of the city, Alex obliterated the door, charging into the castle. Several guards rushed to intercept them, but he effortlessly tossed them aside with his pyrokinesis, setting the grand hall aflame. Cynder paused outside the ruined doors, staring blankly into the gaping inferno. Around her, Imperial guards charged towards here, but the she-dragon took them down, defending herself against several ways of infuriated soldiers, all while she backed towards the breached castle, hoping to keep them from reaching her rider. By the time Alex reached the castle's throne room, he fury had burned out, being replaced by a cold, blank expression of determination and hatred. A few guards raced forward to defend the quarters of the emperor, but the Commander wasted no time in taking them down like he had every other man who had stood in his way.

As the last Imperial soldier slid off of Alex's blade—lubricated in the blood of countless others—he kicked open the doors, entering into the emperor's quarters and looking around, "Where are you hiding!?" he snarled, "Come out! _Now!_ "

"There is no need to yell, son..." an elderly male voice spoke, and Alex turned to see the emperor, gaily clad in fine robes, sipping from a cup of tea. He stood up, grabbing a gilded cane laying on the floor beside him and leaning against it, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here."

"You killed two very good friends of mine, you burned my city to the ground, and you tried to kill my family...I'm here to return the favor."

The emperor side, walking towards the Commander, the frail old man moving with slow and gentle care. Beady, brown eyes poked out from his sunken face, mostly obscured by well-kept, long, silver hair. He wore a long, white beard, covering his rounded face, and his crooked nose was reddened from alcoholism.

"You have inserted yourself into the politics of this country, without knowledge of what you are involving yourself in...you have killed countless men, separated countless families...and yet, I understand your fears, your anger. I, too, was once a young, able man who was raised in combat. I made my own fair share of mistakes, I made enemies, I manipulated politicians to further my own goals...but at the end of the day, I never took the time to find who my true allies were. For one thing, I did not order the attack on Windhelm...in fact, my own generals just informed me of it, and although I do not mourn for Jarl Ulfric's passing, I understand that our attack on the city was unwarranted and inhumane."

"Then why did you do it?" Alex hissed, kicking the cane out from beneath the emperor, who cried out as he toppled to the ground. As he lay there, gasping for breath, Alex placed his boot firmly against the old man's throat.

"I didn't...something overcame my generals...! A shadowed mist befell my city, and when it cleared, my generals were no longer themselves! I am not innocent, but I am not responsible for Jarl Ulfric's demise.

"I don't care," the Commander chuckled, and he pressed harder against the man's throat until a brittle snap filled the air.

"There he is!" a harsh, male voice spoke from behind, and Alex barely had time to turn around before a flail smashed into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground and dazing him once again. The side of his face suddenly grew cold and wet, his vision ran red, and as he turned to look at his assailant, the spiked flail struck again, this time smashing against the back of his head.

"He has slain the emperor!" a halberd-wielding guard, one of the three men standing in the doorway, exclaimed, "What shall we do, sire?"

The captain of the guard—the one who had struck Alex—suddenly said, "We'll cut him down like he did to the emperor!" as the captain began to swing his flail down once again, the kneeling Alex grabbed his dropped sword and thrust it forward, catching the spiked balls in mid flight and tearing the weapon free from the captain's hand. The Commander then thrust the blade of his sword through the halberd-wielding man's chest, tearing it three and swiftly eviscerating the second supporting guard—this one wielding a sword. The disemboweled man clutched his innards, collapsing to the floor of the room, Alex tackled the captain to the ground, holding the edge of his sword against the man's throat. Bleeding from a broken nose, the captain bore his teeth in a bitter snarl, "Get off of me, barbarian!"

"Well," the Commander chuckled, "Don't you have a nice set of balls...making threats while I'm about to carve a smile in your scrawny neck."

"The Empire won't be taken down so easily, swine!"

"Oh...I think it just might..." Alex said, wearing a morbid smile, a thin line of red drawn across his neck, "I'm the boss now, bitch..." and in a slow, uneven slash, he watched as the captain choked from his wounds, blood oozing out from the severed lips of his throat and pooling around him. He clutched at his throat, struggling to cough and spit, but blood only oozed from his mouth and nose before he fell still, his body giving a final, spastic jolt. The Commander stood over his fresh kill, shaking the blood off his blade before sheathing it at his waist, wiping his hands clean on one of the emperor's freshly-washed towels.

Now back outside the castle, Alex mounted the waiting Cynder, still wearing a concerned expression, "Did you..."

"Yes," the Commander replied.

"Now what?"

"Now? Now we burn this city to the ground, and let anyone who's left burn with it."

"Alex, I think this is a little extreme..."

"I don't care," Alex hissed, "It's not about how extreme or humane this is! It's about sending a message! _NOBODY_ fucks with the Terminator Militia! Anyone who does will face judgment against the razor-edge of my sword. Burn this city to the ground, do to it what they made us do to Windhelm!"


	37. Chapter XXXVI: I Am Become Death

_**Chapter XXXVI**_ **:**

 **-''I Am Become Death''-**

 **-Altessa, Rune-**

 **- _02 February 2017_ -**

 **- _0923 Hours_ -**

Alex's eyes blinked open, the sounds of his recent attack on the Imperial City echoing within his brain. As he sat up in bed, he waited until the persistent crying of children and the pleading of civilians to spare their lives faded into the background before he climbed out of bed, whistling for Blake before making his way out the back door of the small cottage he resided in, relieving himself against a bush. Following the destruction of the city, Cynder had flown him to the port town of Altessa, a slowly-modernizing town of medium size sitting against the Atlantic Ocean. From the beaches of the city, the distant shores of Tamriel were just barely visible through the fog. Altessa—like most of Rune—straddled the Equator, and the temperature was hot, a rather extreme contrast to the bitterly cold, snow-capped land of Skyrim.

Once he had finished, he shoved aside the the gate to the backyard, stepping out through the wooden fence to behold the bustling town. Today was market day, meaning that the town's main plaza would be filled with farmers and traders, coming to sell their wares. Many of the buildings within Altessa were made of stone, painted white, and the narrow streets were lined with cobblestone, giving the town a Greek appearance, reminiscent of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Alex walked down the cobbled street, shuffling his way past excited consumers to head towards the restaurant where Alpha Company had decided to have their meetings.

Entering the overwhelmingly hot restaurant, not modernized enough to have air conditioning, but at least powered enough to have an electric ceiling fan, he nodded towards the cashier, who opened the cyan-painted, saloon-style doors to let him into the kitchen. He navigated his way through the kitchen and into the storage room—filled with barrels of fresh produce and alcohol—up the stairs onto the loft, and outside onto the second floor balcony, decorated with hanging flower pots and trellises. Here, Alpha Company sat around, talking among themselves and eating breakfast.

"Wasn't expecting you to be up yet," Zinnia said, "Thought you had a late night with Cynder."

Alex chuckled, "No...haven't slept with her for months."

"You okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah, finally kicked that cough, so thank Christ for that..." the Commander took his seat as a waitress greeted him, taking his order. Sending her away, Alex continued, "What are you guys talking about?"

"Just...trying to brainstorm ideas on how we can take down Vergil and take back New Alexandria," Terrias replied, picking his teeth, "Y'know, same shit, different day."

"What about God's Company?"

"What about them?"

"I need to find Tiberius and Athena before that fat bastard hurts them again."

"We'll worry about that later," Spyro replied, "For now, the highest priority is hunting and taking down _Filios Diaboli_. We're riding on the edge of Armageddon, if we don't stop Vergil and the Alpha Breaker, Tiberius and Athena won't survive anyway...and neither will the rest of the freakin' world. I understand your concern, Alex, but we need to think about the rest of the world and neutralize the worst threat first."

"Yeah? And what if this was _Terra_ on the line?"

Spyro fell silent, and Cynder warned him, "Alex, don't..."

"Don't worry, Alex..." Ruby began, cradling Gabriel, "We'll find and save them, too."

The Commander sighed, rubbing his temples, "Do we at least have a plan?"

"Nothing that'll work right now..." Terrias continued.

"But that's why we waited for ya," Rocket replied, lounging in his chair and sipping at a frosted mug of beer, "You wasted the Imperial City on your own...surely if _someone's_ got a plan, you'd have a few suggestions."

"Well, Cynder did most of the work...and the attack on the Cyrodiil was impulsive...a response to what they did to Ulfric and Dante."

"What's gonna happen in Tamriel now?" Aria asked, hers and Terrias' child, Raphael, sitting on her lap, "Ulfric was our only anchor."

"Tamriel is without an emperor, and without a leader," Alex replied, "Shouldn't be too hard to assert control over the continent...the province is ours."

"And how are you gonna lord over the most influential nation in the friggin' Gothics when you're living high and dry in New Alexandria?" Rocket smirked.

"I'll find a way."

"You're just beggin' for anarchy...or apartheid."

"I'll control Tamriel like I control New Alexandria."

"What? Permanent Martial Law?"

"Fear."

"Jesus Christ..." Rocket sighed, "Every day you sound more and more like some kinda dictator...a Fidel Castro or a Josef Stalin."

"No," Dash frowned, "He's sounding more and more like Mabao."

"I ain't Mabao," Alex hissed, "I will _never_ be that soulless prick!"

"Alex," Rocket replied, "You massacred an entire city, burning it to the ground hardly a month ago."

"I avenged Windhelm."

"No, you released your fury."

"This isn't up for discussion," Alex snarled, falling silent when their waitress returned, handing him a glass of water. Once she was gone again, he continued, "I did what I had to do."

"You did what you _wanted_ to do..." Spyro replied.

"Do you _really_ want to piss me off again?" Alex spat.

"See? This is _exactly_ what I'm talking about! I you're friggin' short-fused! The slightest push and you blow!"

"Yeah? I've heard that a few times."

"Oi..." Rocket sighed, leaning back in his chair and planting his face into his paws, "For Christ's sake..."

"Stop, Rocket," Dash interrupted, "It's not worth getting into an argument over."

"Listen to Dash, she knows what she's talking about."

" _Anyway_ ," Eli interrupted, "Going back to the conversation at hand...what are we gonna do? Any ideas?"

One by one, the rest of Alpha Company only shook their heads, Alex staring off into the distance.

"What about you, Vaughn?"

Reluctantly, the Commander shook his head.

"Great..." Eli scowled, throwing his hands in surrender and leaning back into his chair, "Well, the longer we wait, the more and more fucked the world becomes. So _someone's_ gonna have to come up with _something_. Preferably soon."

"Guess it's back to square one..." Dash sighed.

"Hell you talkin' 'bout, Dash? We were never _past_ square one to _BEGIN_ with!" Rocket spat.

"We'll figure something out," Terrias replied, sipping a freshly-refilled cup of coffee, "Don't worry."

As Alex walked down the street, heading back to the house he was staying at with Cynder, Ruby, and Zinnia, he past by the Omniversals, chatting among themselves at an outdoor cafe, "So, Synthia," Raziel began, "I see you finally managed to find your brother."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Synthia responded, rolling her eyes.

"You're still on that? Synthia, if I gave you all the answers you wanted and told you _exactly_ where to go, your story wouldn't be _nearly_ as compelling."

"My story? As if anyone would want to _see_ that shit."

"You'd be surprised."

"Well, look what we got here..." Alex began, approaching them, "You know, I'm curious. Neither one of you would have any idea on how and why the Imperials sided with _Filios Diaboli_ against Ulfric and Windhelm, would you? You guys are buddy-buddy with the Imperials, after all."

"First of all, we're not buddy-buddy with anyone. Secondly, these _Filios Diaboli_ characters want to kill you and your demon baby, and the Imperials want Ulfric dead. Maybe you can figure the rest out yourself?" Synthia responded.

Omniversal Alex grinned, "So much for those god-tier walls he was going on about..."

"I knew those walls wouldn't hold against the Imperials forces...so did Dante. As a warlord, I can understand why he said what he did though..." and Alex pulled up a chair, sitting at the table, "Sometimes you have to lie to your men to keep their spirits high...especially in the face of imminent defeat. _Filios Diaboli_ used them to get to Ruby and my son, they knew we'd have an army between us and them, Vergil sent the Imperials as cannon fodder, which is an additional reason why we need to make sure he's dead. Raziel, I need to know why Vergil wants to bring the Omniverse down on the Base World...it'll kill us all if he does, _including_ him."

"I just arrived here. Why would I know any of this for sure? We can see into everyone's past and futures except for our own and each other's. Different though he may be, Vergil is still one of us. I'm just as clueless as you are, Commander Vaughn," Raziel said.

Alex sighed, "Listen, I know you guys might not care if the world ends down here...but this is my home, my comrades' home. Not only this, but the sheer nature of the Omniverse and the Base World will mean that everyone dies if we let this continue on. I need your help..." he turned to face Synthia, "And trust me, I'm as excited about this shit as you are...but if we don't work together, we're all fucked. I need to know that we're all on the same page here."

"Correction, you're all fucked. We will still have a fighting chance. But that's not the point here. You have no reason to trust us when we say we have no idea what his motives are, but instead, why don't you think about this—what reason do we have to lie to you at this point?" Synthia responded.

"Because I know you don't like me, and I don't like you. You claim to be exempt from all this bullshit, and you've proven that you really don't care about me, or my mate, or my son. From prior experience with people like you, to watch us suffer and burn humors you, and anything to make the pain worse is worth it."

"Well, two out of four isn't bad," Alex said, rolling his eyes.

"We do not interfere in the day to day trials you and your world go through. We do not find enjoyment in allowing your suffering to continue. But if we were to interfere every time you run into a problem, things would only end up getting worse," Raziel responded. He glanced at Alexia, who turned away from him.

"As far as making the pain worse, if you hadn't antagonized us the entire time we were here, we wouldn't have responded in kind. Sticking a gun in someone's face isn't generally the best way to make new friends, you know," Violet added.

"Perhaps...but when you've been through the sort of shit that I have, when you've...seen...the things that I have. Your first reflex is to be ready to defend yourself. I've held a gun since I was old enough to walk...I've been killing since I was old enough to speak. You reach a point where you're always alert for the next threat, your first reflex when you see something new is to be ready to shoot if they make a move against you or your family. I don't expect you to understand. All-powerful, omniscient, omnipresent beings have a little different set of experiences from some twisted, fucked-up child soldier with a fetish for animals."

"I've been alive longer than your own world, Commander. I assure you, I have seen the things that you have. And much more," Raziel responded.

"None of us can say the same, but life hasn't been too kind to us, either. Except for Robby and Alexia over there. They're the rich kids of our group. Which is not saying much, trust me," Synthia added. Robert and Alexia only rolled their eyes in response.

"Perhaps we're more alike than we thought then, hmm?" the Commander replied.

"Look. When I say that I really have no idea what Vergil's motives are, I am telling the truth. I do, however, have a theory as to what he may be trying to accomplish," Raziel said.

"Which is...?"

"I believe he's trying to reunite the Omniverse with Base World; to make them once again co-exist in harmony. His motives behind this are simple: Power. He wants more of it. So much so that he's blind to the fact that what he's trying to achieve is impossible. It may also be why he's shown an interest in Synthia and the others. You've made no mention of Kain and Eva; I can only imagine that Vergil killed them and absorbed their powers into his own long ago."

"I only learned about Vergil while fighting Deitus...Vergil released him from purgatory, probably refined his lifehunt abilities, and began this whole mess in the first place...I don't even want to know who Kain and Eva are..." then, after a few moments of silence, "Alpha Company will be holding regular meetings to try and create a plan on how to stop Vergil and take back New Alexandria...I want you all to attend next time around...now if you will excuse me," Alex stood up, pushing in his chair, "I need to go feed my son..." and he walked away.

Alex cradled Gabriel, feeding the calf with a bottle and walking around the small, stone house within which he lived. The cyan shutters on the windows were open, a fresh cross-breeze blew past the small house, and the Commander tried to think of something. His child fed, Alex set the calf down, letting the creature sleep before stepping out into the backyard, lighting a cigarette. "Where've you been?" Zinnia asked, wrapping her arms around her _fianc_ _é_ 's waist, kissing his cheek.

"Chatting with the Omniversals," Alex replied, "Hoping that they might have some tips."

"When are you going to propose to Ruby?"

"You gave her the ring, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I already have."

She cocked her head, "You're not going to tell her?"

"I want to surprise her," Alex smiled, "Just like she tried to surprise _me_."

"That's so sweet..."

"I love her, Zinnia."

"I know you do," she replied, "I can tell...I'm glad things will work out for you."

"You sure you aren't mad?"

"Why would I be? It's not like our relationship was serious...sure there were a few times where the idea crossed my mind but...we both agreed, when it began, that I was only a mask for your relationship with her."

"I guess you're right..." Alex sighed, taking a drag from his cigarette, "Hope she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Well...keep showing interest in her to keep her around...then pull out the stops and surprise her when the time comes. How exactly are you gonna pull it off though? I'm curious."

Alex told her his plan.

"That is probably the sweetest thing I've ever heard...she will _love_ that!"

"I hope so..."

"She will, she loves you. Doing something like that would make her day, she would be so happy...I'd imagine she'd give you quite an adventure on your wedding night, too..." Zinnia chuckled, "I do have a question...are you going to sleep with her? Or wait until after you two are married?"

Alex thought about it for a few moments.

"She's a virgin again...it'll probably hurt her. The first time is always the most painful."

"I think it would mean the most to her if I waited until after our wedding."

Zinnia nodded, "I agree..." then, with a mischievous grin, "How are you going to go about taking a break from sex for awhile?"

"Well, I have Cynder, don't I?"

"And Kira."

Alex shrugged, "There's nothing between Kira and I. She might have crushed on me for awhile but...I think she grew out of it."

"I don't know...she still has that look in her eyes sometimes. Ever thought about at least fertilizing her eggs for her?"

Alex shook his head, "Eh...I dunno. I'm not really...uh...interested."

"Her anatomy isn't much different from Cynder's right? At least...speaking in terms of nether regions?"

"I don't know, and I never really thought about it. The relationship I have with Cynder is special...Kira and I were kinda forced into it."

"Well, you have Terrias..."

Alex broke out into laughter, "Yeah...right...guess I do, huh?" then, "Tell me Zinnia, what about you? What will you do?"

"Well...um...Akumi and I have been talking."

"Really?" the Commander seemed surprised, "Saw you two as friends, not lovers. Besides, isn't she a little young for you?"

"I told her it'll have to wait for a few years, but I also said that we could couple up if we're still interested."

"I'm going to be honest, Zinnia...I can't wait to hold Ruby up there on the altar. For years, I've wanted to be able to call her my wife...and now that time is finally almost here..." he shook his head, "I'm on cloud fuckin' nine right now..." he smiled warmly, "I can't even begin to express how utterly excited I am now that the time is finally coming."

"How did you even meet her anyway?"

"Had to travel back in time," Alex began, "I first encountered her as a calf, not even like a month old. When I first saw her, I just knew...somehow...that she was the one. When we came back to the present, I chose to leave her behind...I decision that I still, to this day, cannot come to terms with."

"Did you mate her back then?"

"Almost..." he replied, "Then I realized that I was about to molest a fucking baby, and I chose against it. I ran away in horror at myself, and I think this was why I left her behind. Shortly before that, she had made contact with me, as a telepathic presence named No.1 who tried to insert herself into my little miscellaneous adventures...we grew close, then I got into a fight, told her to kill herself, and she vanished for a long time. I finally ran into her again a few months later. She cried for me to help her, said the _Caeda_ were about to kill her and she wanted me to rescue her. Dash and I went down to save her...and I realized that I was reunited, at last, with the dolphin that I had fallen head over heels for. She was seven years old at this time...due to time passage and time travel she had done. It didn't take long after that before I finally decided to take her out into this beautiful lake in the forest and we...well..."

"What was it like?"

He chuckled, "The greatest feeling in the world, Zinnia...I had never felt happier than I did that night, with her. After that I _knew_ , I just _knew_ , that she and I were meant to be together. For years, she had longed to claim me as a mate, fulfilling her dream made us both happy..." he sighed, "I can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes that my intention was to marry her the whole time."

"I'm sure she'll be positively glowing."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Alex," she said, turning to face him with a loving smile, "I had my chance, I chose to pass on it. What we had was sweet, but the passion that burned between us faded away a long time ago. You've moved on."

"What about you?"

She shrugged, "I'm _moving_ on...it'll still take some time to let it go...but it'll happen. That's why it's important that you be with her."

"Thank you, Zinnia."

She hugged him, "I'm not going anywhere, Alex. I'll always be here for you, and we will _always_ be friends."

"Alex..." a voice spoke from behind them, and the Commander turned to see Necrodusk standing in the doorway, "We need to talk."

"Something wrong?" the Commander asked, walking down the street, his hands in his pockets.

"I have been thinking, trying to identify a weakness we can exploit to kill Vergil."

"And...?"

"Perhaps if we try to contact some old friends of Deitus, they could give us a lead."

"Yeah...and how the fuck do you explain we do that, mate? Every friend of Deitus is an enemy of ours. There's no way we can convince one of his allies to switch sides to us...especially since Deitus' blood is on my hands. Last thing we need is to open a backdoor for _Filios Diaboli_ to get to us through."

"That is why we need to find someone of questionable or unsteady loyalty to him, someone we can convince to change sides."

"How the hell do you expect we do that? Do you have a contact list that names every single friend Deitus has made over the last three thousand years?"

"No," Necrodusk replied, "But perhaps if we pull upon someone we already _know_ about..."

"Yeah? How will we do that? Everybody we've run into who's involved with Deitus is dead."

"Exactly..." the archdemon replied, turning to face Alex, "And I know just the subject for our little...experiment."

"Who?"

"You'll see..." Necrodusk chuckled, "Where is Rainbow Dash?"

"Okay...what do you want, Necro..." Dash asked, blowing the hair out of her face, "And why are you sounding so damn vague."

"I need you to trust me."

"I don't necessarily like the fact that you won't tell me what the hell is going on..."

"Necro, why don't you just tell us already," Alex replied, "Enough beating around the bush, mate. Spit it out."

"You'll see...and you will know _exactly_ what you're there for when the opportunity arises."

"But..."

"Goodbye, Commander," and he placed an ashen palm against the Commander's head. Instantly, the world melted around him. A sensation like the air being forced out of his lungs overcame him, and Alex gasped for breath as the world reformed itself, revealing a burning cityscape laying around him. "Wait...what? Where the fuck am I?" Alex hissed, viciously glancing around, "Necro? _NECRO_!? What did you do to me, goddammit!"

Dash suddenly appeared in a flash of light, gasping for breath. Alex violently turned to face her, "Where the hell are we!?" she asked.

"I don't know..." the Commander snarled, eyes snapping around, "Where the _hell_ did Necro send us!?"

"Hey..." Dash said, "This looks...familiar."

"Now isn't the time, Dash!"

"No, I'm serious, Alex! This is...it's the Necropolis..." and at mention of the name, the Commander instantly turned back to the cityscape, his heart sinking upon realizing the truth. Wait...what? Why would he bring us here?"

"'Necro'..." Dash frowned, "This is about him, isn't it?"

"No...no, no, no...Necrodusk! Explain yourself, mate!"

"It's about General 'Necro', that's the only reason why this would make any sense!"

"How the hell are we supposed to get him? We have no idea where he..." an explosion on the wall beside them sent them both to the ground, and Alex quickly picked himself up, helping the pegasus upright.

"We need to get off this wall!" Dash hissed, "Climb on!" and while Alex scrambled onto her back, she rocketed off the exploding ramparts, heading deeper into the Necropolis, in the early stages of _Operation: Armageddon_.

Soaring through the skies above the burning metropolis, Alex's thoughts raced rapidly through his mind. He understood why General 'Necro' would be an easy target to grab, someone who wouldn't be too difficult to break under certain conditions, given that he was already being blackmailed by the president, but the thought of going against his old foe again troubled him. The reign of the _Maxia_ Regime and the Second American Civil War had been a very dark time for the militia, it was a time he would rather not relive. _God dammit Necrodusk, this better not fuck up the future_ , Alex thought.

 _This is an alternate timeline, meddling here will not affect your future._

 _How!?_

 _Every decision you make creates an alternate timeline, one for each potential choice. This particular timeline was created by a decision where you chose to assault Necropolis shortly after the city's discovery, instead of waiting until the failed attempt to nuke New Alexandria before rounding your forces together. I assure you, the future without 'Necro' here will fare much better for this timeline than its current state. Vastly outnumbered and without proper planning, the outcome of the_ Operation: Armageddon _in this timeline fared no better than Plastro's assault on Charity Hill._

 _Great...why are we grabbing 'Necro' again?_

 _Because he is our key to unlocking the secrets to slaying Vergil. 'Necro' was aligned with Deitus, and worked through him to aide Vergil's overarching plan. However, unlike similar foes like Mabao, Zack, or 'No-Tongue', 'Necro' was bound against his will, forced to fight against what he desired. You are saving his life and your own in this timeline._

 _Where do we find him? I have no idea where he's hiding and I_ doubt _he's in the palace like he was when I killed him._

 _That, my friend, is for you to find out. I can sense that he's here, but I do not know where. Good luck._

"Ragh! Where the _fuck_ is he?" Alex hissed, "I want to get back home soon. Reliving this fucking battle is something I _don't_ want to do."

"Maybe if we show ourselves to him, we can lure him out of wherever he's hiding?"

"Fucking hope you're right, Dash."

"I'm always right," the pegasus chuckled, "Now let's move!"

"How do you suppose we do this, Dash?"

"Good question," the pegasus frowned, "One I'm not sure how to answer. Let's just try raising some hell, sling some shit around, see what sticks. Find some high-value targets, take enough of them down, should lead 'Necro' right to us."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Where do we start?"

"The comms tower..." Alex replied, "Doesn't look like our guys have breached the walls just yet. We start taking own critical structures within the walls, it'll attract 'Necro''s attention."

"It'll also attract the entire _Maxian_ presence within the city...hope you can keep up on the evasion tactics...we're gonna have a lot of bullshit to cut through with ever defender in the city hot after our asses."

"Keeps things interesting."

"Not how I'd explain it, but yeah, sure."

At Alex's behest, Dash steered towards the distant communications tower, which Alex quickly dispatched with his pyrokinetic ability. Following this, they turned their attentions to one of the Necropolis' three command centers, hoping to find 'Necro' in one of them. Beneath them, the _Maxia_ caught wind of their presence, and while the majority of the stationed soldiers flocked to the walls to defend against the Terminator invasion, a large force tracked and fired upon Dash and Alex, traveling at breakneck speeds through the city, staying low to avoid artillery and anti-aircraft strikes, but dealing with armor and infantry fire. As they neared the first command center, Alex cheered, "We're almost there, Dash! Keep it up!"

"He's here..." Alex frowned, "I can feel it."

"Crap...why do I have a really bad feeling about this?"

"Because this guy is a grade-A douchebag, and Necrodusk, for some reason, finds it necessary to drag his ass back with us."

"I don't get paid enough for this shit."

"I'll fuck you tonight, how about that?"

Dash broke out into a wild cackle, "A'ight, a'ight...deal. Been too long anyway."

The crack of an unseen rifle blew through the air, and Dash cried out in pain as a sniper's bullet tore through her wing, sending her plummeting towards the ground. Alex braced himself for impact, swearing as they crashed into the mud, the impact dislodging Alex and sending him flying several yards forward, somersaulting to a painful stop. As he sat up, his wounds healing and recovering from the crash, a bullet ricocheted off the dirt in front of him, and he jumped back, swearing and covering his head, racing towards the dazed pegasus, slowly picking herself up, "Shit! Ge into cover! _NOW!_ "

The Commander tackled Dash, knocking them both out of the way of another shot, and they scurried onto their feet, diving for cover behind a low, decorative wall. Another shot rang through the air, this time the bullet ricocheted off the top of the wall, raining razor-sharp debris onto them. "Jesus Christ!" Dash hissed, "So much for being reasonable!"

"Enough chatting! We need to get in there!"

"Good idea...but how do you expect to get all the way over there? Not with that damn sniper zeroing in on us!"

"Skip from cover to cover...stay right on me, we'll get there."

After another miss from the sniper, Alex raced out of cover, Dash following behind them. They barely managed to reach piece down the line—a parked car—before the sniper fired again, this time shattering the windshield and passenger-side window, raining broken glass on their heads. Eyeing the next piece of cover—another part of the decorative wall, Alex rolled out of cover, barely managing to reach it before the sniper took out a statue sitting upon one of the wall's corners.

"Great! Now there's nothing between us and the door! What's the plan _now_ , genius?"

"On the count of three...run like hell."

"Excellent idea! Flawless!"

"Got any other ideas!?"

"Well...no..."

"Exactly! Now stop bitching and get ready to run..." and after a brief countdown, Alex launched himself out of cover, sprinting as fast as he could towards the door with Dash hot on his heels. Mere seconds after he kicked open the door, finding himself in the entryway of the mostly-subterranean command center, a bullet fired and missed, carving a small crater into the stone slab directly in front of the door. Once inside, they hurried through the compound, Alex stealthily killing the radioman nearby before stealing his SCAR-H and pushing further into the compound. Upon reaching the war room, he kicked a printer onto its side, opening fire into the room and slaughtering the dozen men standing around, frantically crafting a strategy to intercept and take down the invasion party storming towards their front door. The room cleared out, Alex knelt to the ground, placing the open palm of his hand onto the floor and closing his eyes, expanding his mind throughout the base, trying to find the familiar signal of General 'Necro', former military commander of the _Maxia_ Regime. His eyes suddenly snapped open and he shot up, "He's heading towards the big satellite dish out back...let's go!"

They rushed through the war room, bursting through a door into an underground tunnel heading deeper into the facility. A low rumble shook the earth, the hanging lamps dotting the hall swung upon their wires, flickering on and off. Other than the distant, muffled explosions, the world was eerily quiet. They hurried down the halls before, following another minor quaking of the earth, the lights flickered out completely, and Dash spat, "Crap! They cut the power!"

Blinking to activate his night vision, Alex replied, "We don't need light."

"Wait, wait, wait! Now hold on just a minute!" she hurried in front of him, "What the hell are we doing? Where are we going? We can't afford to get lost in here!"

"We'll figure it out," Alex hissed, "Now, we need to keep moving!" and he rocketed forward, sprinting throughout the snaking halls, Dash on his tail. Finally, ramming into a locked, steel door with his shoulder, Alex stepped out into a large, open tower, with a spiraling stairwell leading around the perimeter of the room. Looking up towards the top of the tower—too far up to see the end—he could distinctly hear the sound of rapid footsteps somewhere above. "We just want to talk, 'Necro'!" Alex roared, but only silence answered him.

Alex and Dash hurried up the stairwell, taking two steps at a time, slowly but surely closing the distance between them and their target. A quarter of the way up the tower, a violent explosion shook the world, knocking the two of them to their asses before a large portion of the stairs ahead and the next platform broke off from the rest of the stairwell, falling and crashing several stories below, taking with it everything in its path. Electrical fires raged throughout the tower, severed wires dangled freely from dislodged panels in the walls, showering sparks onto the catwalk.

"Try to stay airborne, if you can," Alex replied, "I don't need you electrocuted, Dash!"

"Easier said than done, my wing can't hold for very long! Goddamn sniper!"

"Do what you can at least, see if you can get to him, I'll catch up as soon as I can!"

Dash sighed, "Roger," and she leaped into the air, struggling to balance herself as she launched several stories up, crashing ungracefully upon a broken landing catwalk, dangling at a forty-five degree angle and barely holding on to its mounts. After recovering from the leap, she jumped once again, bouncing up the various landings before finally reaching the top of the tower.

Ten stories beneath her, Alex continued running the stairs, calling towards her, "Keep going! I'll catch up!"

Dash bucked into the air, kicking the steel door off its hinges before running out onto a narrow catwalk suspended high in the air. The wind blew past her at a high speed, the dangling catwalk, suspended by wires attached to the antenna's cradle, groaned and swayed in the breeze, and 'Necro' ran up the stairs across the dish from her, heading towards the cradle. With a swear, Dash raced across the abyss, granting her a full view of the sunset and the city walls countless miles away. In the distance, on the horizon, she could see the _Fiernes Curtain_ and innumerable black dots of tanks—resembling ants—rolling towards the city.

Racing up the stairs, Dash soon founder herself on the peak of the giant antenna, where 'Necro' dangled over the chasm, holding a Desert Eagle against the bottom of his jaw. "Wait!" Dash exclaimed, out of breath, "Stop!"

"Don't come any closer!" 'Necro' roared, "I won't be caught alive!"

"Dash!" Alex exclaimed, out of breath and finally catching up to him.

"Don't come any closer!" 'Necro' roared, "Or I _WILL_ shoot!"

"Alex, _stop_!" Dash spat, "Please..."

"I won't let you take me alive!" the mad general hissed, violently shaking his head, "I won't let you torture me, too!"

"We're not going to torture you, 'Necro'..." Alex replied, raising his hands to the man and gently holstering his weapon, replacing the safety, "We just wanna talk..."

"You won't break me!"

"We're not going to hurt you..." Alex said.

"You won't take me!" 'Necro' roared, letting go of the antennae.

"NO!" Alex hissed, shoving his way past the pegasus and running towards him.

Alex launched forward, catching 'Necro' by the hand with the Commander's bionic one and holding the man over the abyss. His Desert Eagle plummeted towards the basin, disappearing below. The general snarled and spat, trying to tear his hand free of the restraining Commander, "NO!" 'Necro' snarled, "Let me _GO!_ "

"You're coming with me," Alex spat, pulling 'Necro' onto the platform, Dash standing—in shock—behind him.

While 'Necro' struggled against him, Alex held the man fast, "Necrodusk! I got the bastard! Now port us the hell outta here before he gets free and takes the fuckin' leap of faith!"

"Very well," the archdemon replied, appearing between the Commander and Dash in a flash of light. Placing a hand against both soldiers' foreheads, the world melted away once again, and in the blink of an eye, Alex, Dash, and 'Necro' all appeared in the clear, grassy foothills just outside of Altessa, all three laying on the ground, struggling to catch their breaths.

Necrodusk appeared soon after, adjusting the collar of his shirt and chuckling, "C'mon, now. The trip wasn't _that_ bad was it?"

"No..." 'Necro' began, rolling onto his knees and pounding the ground, "No! No, no, _NO!_ I won't let you take me! I won't let you-!" but he was cut off as Alex delivered a knockout punch with his bionic hand to the general's cheek, knocking the man to the ground.

"Shut up, for fuck's sake...you're giving me a headache."


	38. Chapter XXXVII: Ratification

_**Chapter XXXVII**_ **:**

 **-''Ratification''-**

 **-Altessa, Rune-**

 **- _12 February 2017_ -**

 **- _0903 Hours_ -**

Alex rinsed the soap off of his body, climbing out of the wash basin and reaching for his towel. Drying himself off, wrapping the cloth around his waist to conceal his nudity, he quietly slipped back into his bedroom, digging through his dresser for a pair of clothes, neatly cleaned and folded by Zinnia. Once dressed, he turned to face his bed, smiling as a few rays of sunlight shined through the curtains in the window onto Ruby's face. The girl was sleeping soundly, curled around Gabriel—who also slept soundly. For several minutes, he only stared towards them, the two most important people in his life, watching them sleep peacefully. He quietly sneaked towards his bed, leaning down to kiss both of their heads before tiptoeing towards the bedroom door, quietly opening it and slinking outside before quietly closing it behind him.

He continued down the dark hall, hearing voices coming from the kitchen, and as he reached the archway leading into it, he could hear the front door close. Stepping into the kitchen, open and adjacent to the living room, he saw Cynder leaning against the windows facing towards the road, standing on her hind legs, her forelegs resting upon the sill. Her bladed tail lightly flipped back and forth, and Alex said, pulling a a bottle of mead from the cabinet, "Expecting someone?"

"No," she replied, hopping down on her feet again and turning to face her human mate, "Seeing Spyro off, that's all..." then, "I decided to try and fix things between us...didn't realize it was so hard after burning bridges with him."

"I'm proud of you, Cyn."

"Yeah, well..." she sighed, glancing towards the door, "It'll be a long time before I ever open up myself to him... _if_ I ever do..." she turned to face her human mate once more, "But, I figured that I might as well try to get on good terms again."

"He seems to regret what he did."

"Oh, I don't doubt he's sincere...but at the same time...well..." and she subconsciously caressed her clouded eye, "I can't just forget everything he did to me...y'know?"

"Well, I'm glad that you're at least _trying_."

"It's hard...I want to love him, I want things to go back to the way they were between us but I just..." she shook her head, "The past three years, I've had to be careful around him, I've had to take care not to cross him, it's like...walking on eggshells. Now here we are, and although he seems genuinely apologetic, although he wants us to be a family again...I _still_ have nightmares about the things he did to me...especially since we started talking again."

"They'll pass in time."

"C'mon...do you _really_ think that?" and she smiled sadly, "Or are you just tryin' to get rid of me?"

"Nonsense...I want you to be _happy_ , Cyn. You haven't been the same since everything went to crap between you and him."

"I know...and I'm sorry. I know I've been really clingy and whiny lately..." she looked down in shame, "Things have just been...really rough the past couple of years. Hopefully, things will get better..." she smiled towards Alex again, "Thank you for being patient with me...thanks for helping me through all this drama."

"I love you, Cyn...ain't nothing going to change that."

"Except Ruby."

"Well..." he shrugged, "Yeah, I suppose."

"Just don't forget about little old me, okay?" and she nuzzled him affectionately, beginning to purr.

"Of course, how could I? We've been together for a long time."

"How long has it been now? Five? Six years?"

"I don't even remember...I've lost track of time over the years. Seems the days just fly by anymore."

"Yeah...can't say I'm necessarily _upset_ about that either...things were so _boring_ back then."

"Yeah, but at the same time, I fuckin' hate adulting."

Cynder laughed, "Well, it could be much worse, Alex."

"Guess you're right..." he offered his drink, "Thirsty?"

She shook her head, "Nah...don't like the taste of alcohol," she shuddered, "Don't like the way it makes me _feel_ either."

"Eh...suit yourself."

"So, what are we doing today?"

"Hell if I know...probably just hang around and wait for something to come up. Glad things are quieting down again, I always do like these brief moments of peace, gives me a chance to recuperate and prepare for the next battle, but I have no idea what to do. Hate not having a plan for the day."

"Well," she stretched, "It's a beautiful, sunny day outside...I'm _more_ than content to just lay out back and bask in the sun all day. If you need me, I'll be out there."

"Roger that," and Alex stepped aside as Cynder slipped past, stepping through the back door into the fenced in yard and curling into a ball on the wooden porch outside, in a large, sunlit patch. The Commander smiled towards his dragonian mate before grabbing his pack of cigarettes off of the granite countertops and passing through the front door into the yard. He took a seat in the rocking chair on the porch, slowly rocking as he lit a cigarette with a small flame he produced in the palm of his hand, slipping the rest of the pack into the front pocket of his shirt. Leaning back, he smoked in silence, watching as citizens wandered past, chatting among themselves and going about their daily routines.

After several moments of silence, he reached into his jean pocket, fishing out his smartphone, turning it one, and dialing the States.

"Sam here," the Irishman responded on the other line.

"Sam, Alex here, checking in."

"Slow news day?"

"You know it, brother. Any new developments?"

"No, nothing that could help us against Vergil anyway."

"Anything on God's Company?"

"Negative, seems your friend finally decided to keep his head down for awhile."

"Any clues as to where that bloody damn city of his is?"

"Nothing, unfortunately. But eh...been kinda low priority. We don't really have a lead to build a platform off of, and finding a way to stop Vergil and the end of the fookin' world has a slightly higher priority at the moment," Alex could hear keyboard taps on the other end of the line before, "Oh! Before I forget, there was _something_ that I had to tell you."

"What do you got?"

"Your father called, said he wanted you to contact him as soon as you can."

"Did he say what it was about?" Alex asked, sitting upright.

"Nope, just said he wanted to talk to you about something."

"All right, I'll dial him next."

"Anyway, I have nothing else for you, Commander. Things are kinda boring down here, definitely more interesting over there."

"Hopefully things will get nice and quiet over here, at least for an extended period. No news is good news...wait."

"I was going to say. I think new developments on how to stop _Filios Diaboli_ and the Alpha Breaker would be desired."

"Anyway, better call my dad, I'll let you go."

"Take care, Commander."

"You, too, Sam," and the call ended, Alex dialing his father, "Yeah, dad? What did you need?"

"Alex, how are you doing?"

"Good, I suppose."

"Feeling well?"

"Better than I was."

"Good to hear...listen, are you doing anything over there?"

"'Sides sitting on my ass, twiddling my thumbs, not really...why?"

"Well...I received an interesting phone call a couple of days ago."

"From who?"

"Senator Amy Addams."

"Wait...the Senator of Montana?"

"Yeah."

"What? Why? What about? You sure it wasn't some prank?"

"I'm sure. What I found _most_ interesting was that she called directly...didn't even have a secretary dial us."

"Hell does she want?"

"Seems you've been chosen for a meeting with the President. Something about pardoning you from prison and inviting you to dinner at the White House."

"Okay...? This seems a little suspicious..."

"I thought so, too. Thought I'd pass along the message though, take it as a you will."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah...bring Cynder and Ruby."

As Alex stepped inside the house again, he was alarmed to find Ruby screaming, running out of the bedroom, "Help!" she cried.

Instantly, Zinnia and Cynder were at the panicking girl's side, attempting to calm her, "What the _fuck_ is going on? Ruby, what's wrong?" Alex asked.

"I'm dying!" she cried, on the verge of tears.

"Dying? What? Why?"

"I'm bleeding and I don't know why. I just woke up cause I had this really bad tummy ache and when I went to the bathroom I was covered in blood!"

"Where are you hurt?"

"Right here!" she pointed to her crotch.

An awkward silence fell before the room, Ruby breathing heavy and terrified, "Uh..." Alex began, "Zinnia...would you...?"

"Ruby, I think we need to talk," the French girl interrupted, "Come with me..." and Zinnia walked stiffly towards Alex and Ruby's bedroom, the terrified girl hurrying along behind her.

Cynder cast a worried glance towards her human mate, "What's going on? Is Ruby okay?"

"Well...if it's what I _think_ it is...she's perfectly fine. I'm not a girl, though...so I can't really say for sure."

"What's wrong?"

"I think she just discovered one of the perks of being a sexually mature, human female."

"And that is...?"

"Pretty sure she's starting her first period."

"And that is...?"

Alex explained it to the she-dragon, who's expression only darkened.

"Oh...that's disgusting... _so_ glad I'm not human. When we have unfertilized eggs, we just...lay unfertilized eggs. They don't hatch."

"Never seen you do that before."

"Well..." she shrugged, "Usually when I go into heat, I get pregnant. Few times I haven't...just lay and dispose of them outside when I go to use the bathroom...like passing a kidney stone."

"Sounds painful."

"Can be...depending on the size of the clutch and the individual eggs _in_ the clutch. Normally my heat cycle produces three or four average-sized eggs, not really that bad. Hurts sometimes, but the pain isn't... _unbearable_ anyway. Unfertilized eggs are significantly smaller and easier to evacuate than developed ones."

"Too much information, mate."

"Like I _really_ wanted to know the details of human female reproduction?"

"You asked!" then, "Anyway, you, Ruby, and I have been called back to the states."

"By who? What for?"

"You won't believe this but...apparently by the fucking President."

Cynder recoiled, "Why...?"

"Looks like I might get pardoned, but they wanted me to bring you and Ruby along, too...don't know why."

"What about Terrias?" 

"Technically, he wasn't actually convicted. We willingly followed me to prison, but he wasn't actually convicted of any crimes."

"Why would they want only Ruby and I to tag along? That doesn't make any sense."

"Your guess is as good as mine, mate."

"When do you plan on leaving? Or do you?"

"Whenever Zinnia is done giving Ruby 'The Talk' I suppose."

"Wait...so _that's_ what they were talking about during Health class in school!?"

"Yeah."

"That's fucking sick!"

"It's nature."

"Still! That's disgusting!"

"I agree...but who am I to judge? Guys have their own way of going through puberty."

"She's a little _old_ for puberty though, right? I mean, we took those classes when the kids were in their teens...she's a full-grown adult."

"Yeah, but this...thing...it's a monthly ordeal."

"Jeez..."

"Remind me to avoid her during these times, too. Girls can get a little...volatile...during their special time."

"Like you tried to avoid me when I went into heat because of how moody I got?" Cynder grinned.

"Kinda, yeah."

Their group reunited, Alex and Ruby mounted Cynder, the trio setting a course for Washington DC. "Shouldn't we tell the others we're leaving?" Cynder asked, "Don't very well like the idea that we're heading to somewhere where we have a questionable history, alone."

"We can hold our own."

"That's what we thought during _Operation: Shinobi-Anaconda_ when you and Spyro tried to assassinate Mabao."

"Yeah well...that was also during a friggin' war."

Cynder sighed, "Okay then...but this better not blow up in our faces."

"Have a little hope, mate."

"Says the pessimist."

"Fuck you."

Cynder emerged over Washington a few minutes later, both she and her human mate astonished by what they saw. "Holy crap! Last time we saw this place it was a freakin' crater! The restoration project is trucking along nicely!"

Alex said nothing, only shrugged. Briefly, memories of the failed assassination attempt on Barry Mabao many years earlier flashed before his mind. Phantom pains and recollections of the harsh torture he and Spyro had to undergo beneath the city after they were captured overwhelmed his senses, briefly casting him into a minor flashback.

"Don't get sick on me, Alex!" Cynder replied harshly.

"I'm fine..." the Commander replied, returning to the present day, "If anything, worry about Ruby."

"I'm fine," the girl replied bitterly, "Why do you always assume something's wrong? Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I just have nothing to talk about? Jesus!"

Alex only cast a bemuse grin towards Cynder, who sighed, "I really hate you humans."

"Yeah? I get to deal with this for a week, every month, for the rest of my fucking life, how the hell do you think _I_ feel?"

"Stop whining!" Ruby spat, "Be glad that boys don't have to feel this at all!"

It was Cynder's turn to grin in amusement, and Alex only sighed.

They landed across the street from the White House, still in the process of being rebuilt and expanded. "I'm sorry but...this whole thing still seems kinda suspicious," Cynder began.

"I agree," Alex replied, "But just so long as we stay alert for anything that may be off, we'll be fine."

"Why do you two always think something bad is going to happen?" Ruby scoffed.

"I'd like to see you go up against the _Maxia_ ," Alex growled, "Maybe you'll understand then."

"I did...they held me captive for seven years remember?"

Ignoring the girl, the trio cautiously approached the gates, which slowly opened to allow them passage into the yard beyond.

"Still don't like this idea..." Cynder said.

"I know..." Alex responded, "Both of you, stay close to me."

Upon reaching the front door, they were immediately greeted by several secret service agents, patting them down. When they tried to wrestle the Commander's Desert Eagle free, he protested, refusing bitterly to let his weapons go. "Let him keep it," a firm voice said on the other side of the foyer, and Alex craned his neck to see around security, spying a tall, old, chubby man approaching them, dressed in a suit and tie, walking with an air of authority. When the agents refused to let the Commander by, the President repeated, "Let him keep his weapons. I don't blame him for wanting to stay armed. It was only a few years ago when the man in this very house tried to wipe out your entire family...let him pass, there will be no need to worry here."

The agents exchanged unsure glances before reluctantly parting, allowing Alex through. The President led them to the dining room where the First Family sat around a banquet table full of food. "Hot damn..." Alex began, shaking the President's hand and awkwardly taking a seat at the table, Cynder and Ruby sitting to his left and right respectively, "Is this what every meal is like? Or is this a special occasion.?"

"Why did you call for us, President Cross?"

President Morgan Cross sat down at the head of the table, "Let's eat, and then we'll talk, would that be okay?"

Alex and party merely shrugged as the rest of the First Family lowered their heads in grace, the First Lady leading them through. Alex was the only one who didn't. His eyes kept snapping around the room as he tried to identify why he had been brought here. He had a feeling that there was more than a pardon discussion on the itinerary.

After supper, President Cross escorted the trio out into the garden, strolling through the gardens. The temperature was oddly hot, almost unbearably so...just another sign that the world was ending. "First, let me begin by thanking you for the service you have done for our country," Cross began, "I know my predecessors haven't been very grateful for your help, so allow me to speak for not just them, but _all_ Americans. It's difficult to imagine life without the Terminator Militia, ready to protect."

"I appreciate the compliment," Alex replied, "But if you don't mind me asking...why did you bring us out here? Surely it's nothing that a simple phone call couldn't handle."

"Cutting to the meat of the conversation, I see."

"Well, I'm sure you're a busy man."

"As are you," Cross replied with a nod, which Alex mirrored, "I have signed a pardon, clearing you and your friend of all charge. As of this morning, you and Lieutenant Terrias are free men...but there is something else as well..."

"I'm listening."

"Are you familiar with the Ruby Clause?"

"Yeah, heard about it," the Commander responded, "Heard it got shot down in Congress, too."

"That's not quite accurate. You see, a few days ago, the bill ended up on my desk. I'm hosting a public conference for its official signing into law, and I figured that you and the bill's namesake would like to be there to observe this historic, even if controversial, moment. Where is Ruby anyway?"

"Right here," the girl replied.

"You're human?"

" _Now_ I am," Ruby scowled.

"Well...that's interesting."

"Don't mind her," Alex said, "It's her special time..."

Ruby only glared at her mate.

"Originally, I was planning to have you and Ruby sign the first license, being the first officially recognized interspecies couple beneath the Ruby Clause."

"Well..." Alex glanced towards Cynder, who awkwardly looked around, "Ruby may be human...but there is still an important girl in my life who isn't..."

"Cynder, right?" and the mention of the she-dragon's name surprised her.

"Yes."

"Well, if you and Cynder here would like to be in attendance at the signing tomorrow, that may work, too."

"We would be honored."

"Excellent. The Missus and I would like to extend an invitation for you and your friends to stay in our guest suite. If you have other places to be, I understand."

Alex shrugged, "Not really, no. Did all the necessary sightseeing when Spyro and I set everything up for the city's fall eight years ago."

Alex, taking a shower, heard the squeaking of the bathroom door, and Cynder's voice saying, "Don't you think all this is a little bit suspicious?"

Poking his head through the curtains, he said, "What is?"

"This whole Ruby Clause thing...last I heard it was shot down."

"Apparently it finally got through."

"Yeah, but I don't know _how_. It failed to make it through Congress."

"There's also been a regime change since then, Cyn...there's a lot of new faces on Capitol Hill after the election."

"Still though...this is all just...too weird for me."

"Why? Because you and I can finally be recognized as a couple?"

She shrugged, "Maybe I'm just against the idea because it takes the fun out of doing something considered illegal and taboo."

Alex laughed, "If you're looking for fun, I'm sure we can find _something_ to get that spark going again."

"Times are changing it seems..." she sighed.

"Yeah, but is that necessarily a bad thing? It's human nature to grow, develop, and evolve."

The dragoness grinned at her human mate, "Says the man who only sees the worst of humanity, its animalistic, selfish intent."

"Well, you see all colors of humanity in war...but it's the worst of it all that sticks out the most for me."

"Maybe because it reminds you of Plastro?"

Alex fell silent for a few seconds before, "I'd rather not talk about that, Cynder."

"Did you make Piermont forget that stuff ever happened? Is that why he never acknowledged just the sort of morbid, fucked up shit that Plastro made you do? That he _did_ to you?"

"It's not important."

"He _abused_ you, he beat you, he fucking _molested_ you...and yet you just pretend it didn't happen?"

"Because it's something that I want to forget."

"Y'know...for a split second, I thought that bonding with you would let me understand you, to finally see your unfiltered, unbiased, unedited history...yet it just made things all the more confusing."

"That was a very dark time in my life, Cyn...something that I never want to remember again. There's a lot of things I never told Alpha Company...that I never told _anyone_...surely you understand why I didn't?"

She sighed, "More than I did before, I guess..."

"Now, please do me a favor, Cyn...let's not bring it up again? I'm begging you."

She cast him a sympathetic glance, looking into his pleading eyes, "Fine..."

"Thank you."

"You can't run from the truth forever, Alex."

"No, but I will run from it for as long as I can."

"One final question."

The Commander sighed.

"Are you ever going to tell Ruby?"

The next morning, Alex and party were roused early by servants before being rushed to the kitchen where a large breakfast waited for them. President Cross, already sitting at the table, asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Pretty good," Cynder replied.

"That's good to hear...we will have the conference at three today, are you ready?"

"Still kinda hard to believe that Cynder and I will soon be considered an actual couple...kinda strange."

"A shame that we couldn't get it implemented in time for you and Ruby."

Alex turned towards the girl, who stared towards the ground, upset about something.

"Oh well," he replied, "Things just didn't work out that way...it happens."

Cynder cast the duo a glance, heart sinking upon seeing that Ruby appeared to be crying. She remained silent, however, only turning back to face Cross.

As the time of the conference neared, Alex peered out through the curtains of the White House guest bedroom's window, heart sinking at the large crowd gathered outside, waiting for the signing ceremony. "Jesus..." he breathed, "There's a _lot_ of people out there."

"Well, this is a big deal," Cynder replied, "It's ground breaking."

Alex sniffed the air, "Are you wearing...perfume?"

The dragoness shrugged, "I wanna look the best I can for this."

"You're a feral dragon, nobody's gonna care."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to leave a good impression. You and I are the first couple in the history of the United States to be given a license recognizing us as lovers...this is basically the first real marriage ceremony between a human and animal...this is a huge deal."

"Have fun," Ruby replied bitterly, sitting on the foot of the bed, staring at a blank television screen.

"You're not going to go?" Alex asked.

"No," she replied harshly.

Frowning, he exchanged a saddened glance with Cynder, who only shook her head, telepathically saying, _I understand that you're trying to surprise her, but I think what you said earlier really hurt her feelings._

"Ruby, if I offended you earlier, I'm sorry."

"I'm not offended," she replied in a cold tone, "I'm just not interested in going. Have fun."

Alex sighed in surrender, only for Cynder to smack his rear with her tailblade, "Go change into something nice, you look like a bum."

"Whatever, mom," Alex scowled, shifting through the closet in search of formal attire to replace the camouflage slacks, combat boots, and white undershirt that he currently wore.

"Oh, and shave or at least trim up that goatee!" Cynder called after him with a grin.

The Commander said nothing from the bathroom, only groaned loudly in irritation, leaving the she-dragon to chuckle, once again turning to face Ruby. Once more, the girl was starting to cry, and she laid down on the bed again, curling into fetal position with her back towards the dragon.

"Ruby, are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine..." she replied, but her unsteady voice gave away the truth.

"He still loves you, Ruby."

"No, he doesn't," the girl replied, "And I made a stupid, stupid decision when I made that deal. One that I'll have to live with for the rest of my life. At least if I would have stayed a dolphin, Sapphire and I might have been able to start a family."

"Ruby, he really does love you, more than you think."

But the girl said nothing else in response.

As President Cross signed the Ruby Clause into law before an expansive army of reporters and spectators, Alex and Cynder awkwardly stood by his side, aware that they were the focus of the entire audience's attention. Subconsciously, Cynder had moved herself between the audience and Alex, typical of dominant partners in a dragonian relationship, attempting to protect their mates from unknown threats. It was body language that Alex picked up, and was one of the few things that gave him some relief from the overwhelming stress and discomfort that he felt right now. Above him, Ruby sat by the window, unseen, longingly looking out and observing the events going on, heavy hurt and betrayal in her eyes.

Once the bill had been signed, a certificate was presented before Alex, which he signed with the President's offered pen, before it was then presented to Cynder, along with pad of ink. She placed her paw onto the pad, stamping her print into the box besides Alex's signature, and once this was complete, she affectionately nuzzled her mate, purring contentedly. Wearing a fake smile, the Commander waved to the audience, but his mind was somewhere else, likely in the arms of Ruby. Cynder, although overjoyed that they were now a legally recognized couple, felt guilty that the one reason why this whole law was set into motion was currently crying her eyes out, alone, in the dark, in the guest bedroom of the White House, having thrown away everything to chase a dream that she believed was now impossible.

Once the ceremony had concluded, Alex swiftly disappeared back inside, Cynder trailing along behind him. When the she-dragon finally found her mate, he was attempting to comfort an inconsolable Ruby. When the girl had finally managed to claim some semblance of control over herself, Alex and party said their goodbyes, deciding to leave the states and head back to the Gothics. Upon emerging in the skies above Rune, Cynder thought to her mate, _Y'know, I think this calls for a celebration._

 _Celebration how?_

The dragoness chuckled, _Oh, I have a few ideas...meet me outside Altessa, at midnight..._ then, _Make sure you come alone._

That night, Alex and Cynder met each other outside of Altessa, the Commander curious about just what the she-dragon had in mind for their retreat. Upon meeting with her, he was aware that she had doused herself in sweetly-perfumed oils, and Alex cast her a puzzled glance.

"It's traditional," she replied, "Figured since you and I are an official couple to your species...I might as well give you a little taste of our traditional mating ceremonies..." she nodded towards him, "Hop onto my back...hope it isn't _too_ slippery."

Without a word, he climbed onto the she-dragon, surprised by just how warm and soft her scales were, beneath him, although he grimace at the oily slickness that accompanied him, glad that he decided to wear old clothes destined for the trash bin anyway.

"Hold on tight..." she said before rocketing into the air, flying with such speed that it stole his breath away. She soared high above the clouds, higher than she had ever flown before, and Alex was alarmed as the ground became completely obscured by the cloud cover.

"Cyn...what are you doing?"

"Trust me," she replied, soaring even higher until the air became so thin, it was nearly impossible to breathe. Once he was at the inhospitable height, she said to the panicking Commander, "Do you trust me?"

"What!?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I...I guess. Y-Yeah, I trust you...why?"

With a loving smile, seasoned with a hint of mischief, she suddenly bucked him off, diving down and rolling onto her back, flying away. As he fell through the sky, the Commander screamed, cussing out the she-dragon before she suddenly shot from the clouds behind him, now flying upside down. He fell onto her belly and she instantly folded her wings and limbs around him, sheltering him from the cold, and surrounding him in darkness, spiraling ahead.

 _What are you doing!?_ Alex thought to her, terrified.

 _Mate with me, lover..._ she replied, and the smell of her natural musk suddenly appeared, overtaking everything else and almost nauseating in its intensity. He was aware that her body opened beneath him, beckoning him in, and trying to set aside his panic, he unzipped his jeans.

 _Are you sure this is safe?_

 _Don't worry, I will keep us_ both _safe from harm, just do exactly as I say, and I'll keep you safe. Before we lose anymore altitude, please, enter me, lover, and trust me._

He did as he was told, surprised by how ready she actually _was_. Her natural lubrication mixed with the oils she had doused herself in, making for an incredibly slippery experience, and an absolute nightmare to hold onto something for assured safety. Still, he did as he was told, sliding into her with incredible, surprising ease...she must have been ready for awhile. As they mated high above the clouds, she would occasionally cling tightly onto his back with her claws, rolling upright and extended her wings to gain altitude, briefly exposing him to the cold before she rolled over once again, closing her wings over him to protect him from the bitter, dangerous cold.

The encounter itself was incredibly short, lasting only a few minutes at most...both were quick to reach their respective climaxes, succumbing to an intense, nearly crippling bout of pleasure, more powerful than anything either one had experienced for quite some time. Even after the pleasure had subsided, however, they continued this dance in the clouds, Alex maneuvering himself until he was facing his mate, kissing her deeply. They kissed repeatedly, relishing in the intimate contact of each other for almost an hour before Cynder, smiling lovingly towards her partner, lowered towards the ground, allowing her mate to dismount before collapsing onto her side, breathing heavily. He crawled into her embrace, and she curled her body around him, casting a protective wing over him. In the warm, comforting darkness, strongly scented with Cynder's natural aroma, Alex found sleep easy to come by, and the two mates slept together, the she-dragon slipping her head beneath her wing and resting it on Alex's lap, allowing the Commander to rest his head on hers.

"I love you, Cyn..." he said, drifting off.

"I love you, too, Ali."


	39. Chapter XXXVIII: The Fall of Rome

_**Chapter XXXVIII**_ **:**

 **-''The Fall of Rome''-**

 **-Outside Altessa, Rune-**

 **- _16 February 2017_ -**

 **- _0835 Hours_ -**

Alex's eyes slowly opened, and he found himself staring into the warm, emerald-sapphire eyes of his mate. With a groan, he sat up, stretching, and Cynder unwound herself from around his body, stretching before crouching to relieve herself. While Alex emptied his own bladder, he said, "Guess that makes me part of the mile-high club now, huh?"

Cynder chuckled, reaching over to nuzzle her mate, "Indeed it does."

The passed through the short, sandstone walls into the city beyond, strolling through the streets side-by-side, heading towards their house. "I can't believe we did that..." Alex remarked.

"I'm glad we did," Cynder replied, "It's nice to do something a little different."

"Thank you..."

She shrugged, "I think you deserved a special encounter, in celebration of our new status."

"Wouldn't have thought you'd be one to be proud that humans recognize us as a couple."

"Well, I know it means a lot to you...so of course it means a lot to me."

"Kiss-ass..." Alex chuckled.

"What's so wrong with that?" she replied, "I've done a lot of stupid shit in my life, if I could make my mate happy, it's a good day. Especially after everything you've done for me..." her voice trailed, "Thank you for everything..."

"I haven't done anything special," he said.

"You've saved my life, you've done little favors for me...things that mean a lot to me, even if you think it means nothing."

"I got between you and Spyro."

The dragoness sighed, "He did that to himself..."

"Then why do I still feel like I played a huge part in the deterioration of your relationship?"

"You didn't. He ruined everything when he hurt me."

"Because I left you and Ruby alone..."

"That wasn't your fault...that was the Reapers. Alex, I don't fault you for what you did back then. I don't fault you for anything..." she frowned, "And I understand why you wouldn't tell anybody the truth of your origins."

"It was a very dark time for me...Zack was my only beacon of light. Without him, I would have given up a long time ago."

"You loved him."

"He was my best friend, my brother...my hero. I worshipedhim."

Cynder chuckled sadly, "You know, when I saw into your past..." she shook her head, "It reminded me of how my own life was like, _before_ Spyro saved me."

"What? Did Malefor hurt you, too?"

"Not exactly..." Cynder sighed, "I was just...very lonely. I spent a lot of time in complete and total isolation. I didn't have any friends, and the few...acquaintances...that I _did_ make, usually died soon after." she shook her head, "I was a freak, someone who was stupid enough to mistake lust for rage. There were...a _lot_ of lonely nights that I had to get myself through."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged, "It's all in the past. I'm happy here, and I have everything I could have possibly wanted: friends, family, a warm and loving home..."

"You mean a lot to me, Cyn."

"You mean a lot to me, too..." she nuzzled her mate, purring contentedly, "I just...I wish things would go back to normal with Spyro."

"Well, why can't they? He seems to truly regret everything he did."

"Yes but...that doesn't change the fact that it happened."

"Cynder, sometimes you just need to move on and forget things in the past. I was abused by Plastro, but I moved on, I didn't stay in the past...Zack taught me that. Spyro is trying to repair your relationship...keep an open mind. He has a good heart, it's just that _sometimes_ he doesn't know how to express it. Most importantly, he loves you, Cyn...you are his world and I...I can't always be there. Plus, I feel like shit having stole you away from him."

"You're right..." she frowned, "Maybe I shouldn't judge him too harshly. Piermont fucked up all of us..."

"Go to him, explain your doubts, let him redeem himself, that's the least you can do for him after he gave _you_ a shot at redemption. If you're that worried about the authenticity of his regret? Well...keep an eye on him, if he still acts like a complete asshole, then you can sleep well at night knowing you gave him a chance and he really was an ungrateful, selfish asshat."

"Thank you, Alex..."

"I love you, Cynder. I care about you, and I hate seeing you unhappy. I love Spyro, too...despite all the shit he pulled against me and Ruby...he's my brother, he's _family_."

"Do you still love Piermont?"

They paused in the street, Alex falling silent, "You want to know the truth?"

"Yes."

The Commander nodded, "I do, yes. Despite everything, despite everything he did...he was still my brother. He was suffering, and I'm glad Ruby put him out of his misery, but I don't fault him for anything that he did. To be honest, I was doubting whether to keep the child or not as well...but Gabriel means a lot to Ruby, and she means a lot to me, so I kept my own concerns to myself, and I gave her a chance to be something that she rarely ever is..."

"Happy," Cynder finished.

"Yes," Alex replied, nodding vigorously.

"How do you feel about Gabriel?"

"I don't regret my decision, when I held him for the first time, I felt...something...that I had never felt before. This...indescribable pride and overwhelming urge to protect him, to keep him from harm."

"That is the father instinct," Cynder replied with a sad grin, "You find new value in life when you're holding your progeny, huh?"

"Yes...but it was so much more than that. I _love_ Ruby, she's the most important person in the world to me, she means _everything_ to me. I can't even begin to explain the pleasure I felt at the realization that I was holding something we created together, that I was holding physical _proof_ of our love."

"Do you still follow that silly quote of yours?"

Alex frowned, "Innocence is still an illusion...but perhaps it's not so bad..." then, "Can I tell you something, Cyn?"

"Of course, you know you can always talk to me."

"I can't wait to hold Ruby in my arms on that altar, I can't _wait_ to call her my wife...and to see the smile on her face when she realizes that her dream has finally come true, after all these years."

Cynder nuzzled him, "You will make a good husband, Alex, and a good father."

"I only hope you're right, Cyn."

"I am, because I know. I can tell that you really do love her, and I can tell that she means _everything_ to you. You mean _everything_ to her, and I can tell that you will be a _wonderful_ father to your children."

"Kinda strange to think that I'm about to be a married man...seems like only yesterday I was still in elementary school..." he chuckled, "And I've had you guys there every step of the way. I just wish Piermont could still be here...it's going to be strange without him, since he's been there nearly my entire life. He was always the shoulder I could cry on, he was always the one I could tell my deepest fears without worry of being mocked or insulted, and he was the kindest person I ever knew. That asshole persona was only a facade, a front he used to hide his _true_ self: vulnerable, sensitive, self-conscious, compassionate, and sympathetic..." Alex sighed, "I miss him."

"You'll see him again. Heaven or Hell...we're _all_ going to the same place, since I'm pretty sure we're all carrying a similar weight in sin."

"Hopefully Ruby heads to the former...her entire life has been a living hell, she doesn't deserve to go through that in the afterlife as well."

"Enough moping about," Cynder began, "Live in the present, be glad for what you have. You're about to get married to your soul mate, surely you're still coming down from that pretty intense high from what we did last night, you're a free man, and we're seeing a respite from conflict—however short it may be. Relish in the present, set aside your worries, fears, and ghosts for a little while."

Alex chuckled, "You know...that's what I love about you..."

"What?"

"You're always the optimist...even in the darkest of times, you see the light and good in everything...in everybody. You're probably the closest our little ragtag band of misfists has to being the heart that can keep everybody together."

Cynder blushed, but said nothing.

"Now, let's get something to eat, huh? I'm buying...think of it as recompense for the helluva time you gave me last night."

"You're home," Zinnia said, opening the door to let Alex and Cynder inside, "Had everybody worried..."

"We had some business to attend to," Alex replied.

"Well, Kira and Dash went out to look for you," she chuckled, "Better be ready for an interrogation when they get back."

"Thanks for the warning," Alex nodded lightly on the bedroom door, listening for Ruby's faint invitation before sneaking into the room, spying the girl sitting up in bed, cradling and feeding Gabriel with a bottle.

"You're home..." Ruby said with a smile, "Where've you been?"

"Cynder and I had some things we had to take care of..." then, "Ruby, about that whole license thing...I'm sorry."

"No," she replied, " _I'm_ sorry...I don't know why but I've just been...really grumpy lately."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feeling."

"You didn't," she sighed, sliding to one side of the bed and allowing her mate to sit beside her. Alex climbed into the bed and Ruby scooted towards him once again, curling against him and nuzzling his chest, "I overreacted."

"I understand your concern," he said, half-hugging the girl, "This really was set in place for you...and Cynder and I just...took advantage of it."

She chuckled sadly, "Well, it's not like it's anything we would have been able to use...we can get married now, we don't need the Ruby Clause."

Silence for a few moments before, "Can I ask you a question, Ruby?"

"Sure, anything."

"Do you even still _want_ to get married? Like, with everything going on?"

She shrugged, "I've thought about it a few times but...I'm happy for you and Zinnia."

Silence fell between them, both relaxing and starting to drift off. The feel of Ruby's small frame in his arms was more incredible than anything else he could imagine. She simply melted into him, her body warm and soft to the touch, and he couldn't help but to smile. Her slow, hot breath tickled his flesh, and he could feel her heart beating in synchronization to his. Gabriel squirmed in her arms, slithering between his parents and getting comfortable, falling asleep soon after. Ruby soon fell asleep, too, and Alex smiled towards the girl, bowing his head to kiss her forehead, parting the hair from her face, "I love you, Ruby..." he said, closing his eyes and drifting off himself.

An explosion roused him from his sleep, and he shot up, anxiously glancing around. He was alone in bed, in an unfamiliar house, and he quickly jumped to his feet as he heard the firing of a trebuchet. Another explosion, accompanying a minor quake, sent him to his feet, and Alex quickly scrambled onto his feet, running towards the door leading into the next room, leaning against the door frame.

"What the _FUCK!_?" he snarled, stumbling towards the window and peering outside. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he saw a burning city outside, constructed in the architecture of Ancient Rome, "Oh, I've got a _bad_ feeling about this..."

He stormed out into the cobblestone streets, standing aside as Roman Centurions, clad in golden armor, rushed past, heading towards the city walls.

"God damn it..." Alex sighed.

A praetorian rushed towards him, rambling on in Classical Latin that Alex found he could somehow understand, "What are you doing soldier? The Gauls are approaching the city, we need to repel them!"

"I...uh...what?" Alex replied, standing awkwardly in place as the praetorian continued on and the attack continued.

Trying to decide where he was and what he was supposed to do, Alex resigned to follow the rest of the soldiers, passing by a towering statue that attracted his attention. He paused in place, blood running cold, before turning to face the statue, finding a haunting familiarity in the person depicted. He slowly walked towards the statue, pausing before it to stare at its face, trying to decide who it was. It depicted two people standing together, looking down upon a bundled infant. One of them, a man, wore the familiar armor of Messorem, and the other, a woman, wore a long, flowing dress, wearing a crown of flowers, with more flowers adorning her dress.

He read the Latin script carved into the statue's base, surprised that he understood what it said: 'Forbidden Affair: Mars and Venus'.

"That's not Mars and Venus...it's..." and his eyes widened with dawning realization, "Wait...you've got to be..." but an explosion interrupted his train of thought, he climbed back onto his feet, glancing back towards the gate, where the barbaric Gauls burst through the walls, flooding into the city. He turned to face the statue one last time, horrified upon realizing that there was nothing there, only an empty plot of land. _Where did it go!?_ he exclaimed in surprise, _What the hell!_ Shaking his head to clear his mind, he turned and impulsively ran towards the gates, not sure why he felt the need to go there. Just as he arrived, one of the trebuchet projectiles crashed into the ground in front of him, showering him in burning shrapnel and flinging flaming tar around the area. "Jesus!" Alex hissed, "This is fucking insane! What the hell am I _doing_ here!?"

"Move it!" a voice rang throughout the air, and Alex's eyes instantly snapped towards a guard tower, where a man that looked eerily like himself hastily scrambled down the steps, "We need to hold the gates at all costs!"

"Sir! They're unstoppable! They keep getting back up, it _has_ to be Pluto's armies!"

 _What?_ Alex thought, and his eyes widened with horror as black misted seeped from the ground, taking shape into the undeniable form of _Filios Diaboli_ 's shadow-knights.

"They've breached our walls! They're in the city! Somebody warn the emperor! Damn it, Vergil!" the doppelgänger roared, startling Alex once again, "What do you want from us!?"

"To end your pathetic existence..." an omnipresent voice replied, and the gates exploded inward as enthralled barbarians rushed into the walls, the familiar form of Vergil casually walking in beside them, "Marcus, where is your lovely wife?"

"You stay away from her! Be gone, beast!" the doppelgänger hissed, and Marcus leaped down the last few steps onto the ground, running towards and tackling Vergil. The multiversal disintegrated into mist, cackling in wild laughter as he took form once Marcus had stumbled through him, "You can't stop me, Messoremel!" and in a swift fluid motion, just as Marcus charged towards him again, Vergil produced a sword from a fallen praetorian, impaling the Roman general through the chest and holding him close, "Your son sends his regards..." the multiversal whispered before tearing the blade free in a spray of blood and gore, kicking the mortally wounded general to the ground.

Just as Vergil prepared to issue the _coup de grâce_ , an explosion of hot, white light emerged from Marcus, and the general stood once again, pouncing upon Vergil and knocking him to the ground. "You can fight all you want! You won't stop me!"

"Ana, do it! Now!"

Within seconds, one of the soldiers removed their helmet, revealing the fresh face of a young woman. While Marcus and Vergil clashed on the ground, the girl—Ana—quickly knelt towards the ground, producing a bowl and some herbs from her satchel. She quickly combined them into the bowl, taking the knife from the corpse of a slain barbarian and slashing her wrist, bleeding into mixture and stirring it with her hand. Just as Vergil was about a turn the tides of the battle, she grabbed a fallen torch, chanting something before pressing the flame into the bowl, igniting the mixture almost instantly. It burned brightly, an eerie, green flame that produced a noxious odor. Vergil howled then, falling back as gray smoke seeped from his body, "No! What did you do to me, insect!?"

"You're reign of terror ends now!" Marcus chuckled weakly, tearing a dagger free from his waist, "God grant me the strength to destroy this unholy beast!" before he thrust it into his own chest, pulling it free and stabbing the mysteriously injured Vergil who howled violently before exploding into a plume of ash that sank into the ground. Once the multiversal had been conquered, Marcus weakly stood up, taking a few steps forward before collapsing to the ground, clutching his bleeding chest. Almost immediately, Ana was beside him, tending to his injuries. The world began to lose solidity, and as the mortally wounded Marcus slowly bled out in the arms of what Alex assumed was his wife, the vision grayed and time seemed to slow to a near-stop. In the blink of an eye, Alex was once more standing by the statue and he watched as time suddenly sped up, the statue deteriorating a thousand years in thirty seconds. He then realized something, the figures on the statue eerily resembled Marcus and Ana.

"Wait a second..." he began, "Does that mean that Mars and Venus were... _real?_ Were they _real_ people!?"

"Indeed they were," a voice spoke behind him, and Alex started, violently turning to see Vigil and Viola standing there.

"Where am I? Did you two have anything to do with this!?"

"We needed to show you that Vergil _can_ be stopped," Viola said.

"How is he still alive? If this Marcus fellow killed him...how is he alive today!?"

"Vergil was not slain the day that Marcus and his secret affair, Ana—reincarnations of Messoremel and Vitamel—ascended to the status of valiant Mars and beautiful Venus. He was merely banished to Purgatory, where he and the Lifehunter refined their strength and power. If you can commit to the same ritual that Marcus and Ana did, you can render Vergil vulnerable, and with the power of _Soulreaper_ , you can slay the beast forever, Vigil said.

"I don't understand...Mars and Venus are Messorem and Vitam!?"

"Yes," Viola replied, "A different name for a different culture, but they are one in the same. The Roman pantheon—as you know it—represents the reincarnations of the _Old Regime_. Marcus, a man not unlike yourself, founded a great company of skilled soldiers—all of which were killed that day and were immortalized, along with their noble commander, in the pantheon that you now recognize."

"So this isn't the first time the _Old Regime_ has been reunited?"

"Marcus knew that he was the final reincarnation of Messoremel, he knew the night he took Anastasia to bed," Vigil began, "Much like how you knew the night you mated with the dolphin Ruby in that moonlit lake. Instead of accepting his fate and allowing the world to end—as it should have—he and his army sacrificed their lives to stop the Reformation, and thus were able to reset the cycle. Now, the cycle has come around once again...you are the final reincarnation of Messoremel, and Ruby represents the final reincarnation of Vitamel. However, because this is the 'final' reincarnation, does not mean that you have to let the world end. Your fate is still up to you, you still possess free will, and you can reset the cycle once again. You've already taken the first step by slaying the angel Nathaniel...whom you called Piermont."

"I had no choice," Alex frowned, "And it wasn't me who killed him, it was Ruby."

"Regardless. There is still time to reset the cycle, if you so choose."

"Won't it piss off the angels?"

"Yes it will, but the power lies in _your_ hands. Consider spiting the angels a secondary effect," Viola replied, "And one they deserve, quite frankly."

"What will happen to me? Will I have to die, too?"

"Not necessarily," Vigil replied, "Marcus did not possess the mutation serum that you do, Commander. He and his army did not possess the strength and power that you and yours does. If you can complete the ritual, slay Vergil, and stop the Alpha Breaker, you can reset the cycle and extend the life of the Base World for many more years to come...but the choice is yours."

And with the snap of Vigil's fingers, Alex awoke in his bed in Altessa, blinking away the sleep and peering out the blinded windows nearby. The sun was beginning to set, casting the world in a beautiful, golden-orange hue, and the Commander climbed out of bed, stretching and slipping outside into the rest of the house.

"Have a nice nap, sweetie?" Cynder asked, entertaining Gabriel while Ruby napped in a nearby chair.

"Think I caught up on the sleep I missed..." he replied with a nervous chuckle, but his smile soon dissipated as his thoughts turned to the dream he had just had...if it _was_ a dream.

 _The fate of the world is in my hands...and I can stop the Reformation if I want to, huh?_ he thought, grabbing his pack of cigarettes off the dining table and slipping out into the backyard, striking a light in the ball of his hand and inhaling deeply before leaning against the wall of the house, watching the sunset.


	40. Chapter XXXIX: Pieces of the Puzzle

_**Chapter XXXIX**_ **:**

 **-''Pieces of the Puzzle''-**

 **-Altessa, Rune-**

 **- _01 March 2017_ -**

 **- _1010 Hours_ -**

Alex entered Altessa's keep, flanked on either side by Dash and Terrias. They were led downstairs into the castle dungeons, where General 'Necro' was currently being held prisoner. Upon entering his cell, they found the general dangling from two chained shackles hanging from the ceiling. He chuckled, wearing a pained smile as he turned to face the Commander, "Ah...Alex Vaughn, my executioner. Have you come to put me down?"

"Nah, that was _so_ five years ago. I've come to bargain, your freedom for your help."

"Meddling with time...you really are a fool."

"Actually, no. This wasn't my choice," Alex replied, "You want to bitch and moan about losing five years, bitch to Necrodusk, he's the one that dragged my ass back there to bring _your_ ungrateful ass forward."

"We're as thrilled about this as you are, 'Necro'," Terrias added.

"What do you want from me?" 'Necro' asked.

"As I said before, we want your help," Terrias replied.

"With what? The _Maxia_ have fallen, the Tartarus Unit dead, Mabao has been slain, there's nothing more I could _possibly_ do for you."

"There is," Alex replied, "Are you familiar with the name Deitus?"

"Ah yes...the demon that Mabao swore fealty to, believing he was an angel."

"What about Vergil?" Terrias asked.

'Necro' weakly shook his head, "I never paid attention to Mabao's rambling...I had more important matters on my mind at the time."

"Like Lucy?" Alex said, eyes narrowed.

Instantly, 'Necro' fell silent, glaring dangerously at the Commander, "How do you know about her?"

"Because we have her."

'Necro' violently twisted and snarled, "If you harm her, I will tear you to pieces!"

"Chill out, man," Dash replied, "Nobody's gonna hurt her. Promise."

"Bring her to me!"

"Unfortunately, she's in New Alexandria, which is currently under occupation by Vergil. You tell us about Vergil, tell us how to beat the little bastard, and _maybe_ you'll be able to see her again. Hell, I'll hand deliver you to her...if she's still alive."

"You're a monster!" 'Necro' roared, voice trembling as he neared tears, "Abandoning her!"

"We didn't abandon her," Dash said, "Vergil drove us out of the city. We lost _many_ of our closest friends and allies back there. Hopefully, we can save them..." the pegasus approached the battered, P.T.S.D-stricken general, "But we need your help."

"What do you know about Vergil?" Alex asked again.

Reluctantly, 'Necro' replied, "The name is vaguely familiar...I've heard Mabao ramble about the name beneath his breath, but I don't know anything about it. As I said before, I had more important matters on my mind than whatever new spawn of Hell Mabao managed to make friends with."

"Allow me to explain then," Necrodusk suddenly said, emerging from the shadows of a dungeon corner, the dismal light casting his pallid, sunken face in a ghastly glow, "Vergil is besties with Deitus. Currently, he's pretty pissed off that we killed his friend and is bringing the end of the world to our doorstep. The only way to save the Greater Multiverse is to ensure that we can stop Vergil and his Alpha Breaker before it's too late. Unfortunately, we're quickly running out of time."

'Necro' chuckled darkly, "So, youmanaged to find and kill Deitus. I'm _actually_ impressed."

"Trust me, it was a bitch," Alex replied, "Enough of that. We need answers on _Vergil_ , Deitus' bestie."

'Necro' sighed in exasperation, "Again, I know nothing about Vergil! I've only ever heard the name once, maybe twice. Deitus' was the object of Mabao's obsession, not this Vergil character."

Alex turned to face Necrodusk, "Any other ideas, mate?"

"Unfortunately, this is the best chance we have," the reformed demon sighed, "Maybe I can infiltrate his mind, see if I can find anything."

Alex's eyes snapped back and forth between the demon and the battered prisoner before he stepped aside, nodding for Necrodusk to approach. "Let's see what we got then."

With a nod, Necrodusk approached 'Necro', who violently twisted, trying to pull away from the demon, "Stay away from me!" he howled.

"Settle down! This will only hurt if you resist," Necrodusk scowled, and he placed the palm of his hand against General 'Necro''s throat. Instantly, 'Necro' howled in pain, his head snapped back, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He violently and spastically twitched, losing complete control of himself, and Necrodusk—his eyes closed upon making the contact—suddenly snapped his eyes open, now glowing a brilliant white. After several minutes of this, he blinked, his eyes returning to their previous shade before he pulled away. 'Necro' twitched violently a few more times before finally falling still, gasping for breath and sweating profusely, crippled by the fusion. "Nothing," the demon hissed, "He tells the truth."

"So there's no point in keeping him alive then," Alex replied, "I'll let the executioner know."

"Wait! Surely there's something we could use him for," Terrias said.

"Least we could do is take him to the meeting, maybe he can help us figure something out," Dash replied, and Alex said nothing as he left the room.

Terrias and Dash watched him leave before the servine walked over to 'Necro', unlocking his chains and dropping the general to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Thank you..." the general said reluctantly, slowly picking himself up and massaging his wrists.

"Yeah, yeah...whatever," the servine grunted, turning towards the general, "You step out of line? I won't hesitate to put you down."

"I won't..." 'Necro' replied coldly.

"You better not," Terrias snarled, leaving the room.

"You okay?" Dash asked, helping 'Necro' to his feet.

The general said nothing, only left the room, leaving Dash alone.

The pegasus sighed, "Fucking asshole."

Alex leaned against the outside wall of the stone keep, smoking in silence and enjoying the morning silence, broken only by the singing birds. There was not a cloud in the clear, blue skies, and the entire town—a pleasant seventy degrees Fahrenheit with a slight, cool breeze—was lit in a beautiful, sunlit hue. As he flicked the butt of his cigarette onto the cobblestone path, drilling it into the ground with the toe of his scuffed, black boots, he turned to see the rest of his party leaving the keep, 'Necro' trailing at the end of the group. Briefly, the two men exchanged heated glares of hatred, but they said nothing, only continued heading towards the restaurant where they were to meet the rest of Alpha Company.

Upon stepping out onto the rooftop VIP dining area of the restaurant where Alpha held their meetings, Alex took a seat between Cynder and Ruby. His eyes occasionally snapped towards the Omniversals, sitting across from him, but aside from a few exchanged, distrustful glances, they said nothing to each other.

"So," Zinnia began, leaning back in her seat and sipping from a glass of wine, "Has anybody thought of anything yet?"

"I've thought up a lot of things since we got here. You're gonna have to be more specific," Synthia responded.

"How are we going to stop Vergil?" Zinnia asked.

"Better question is what we're even _dealing_ with," Terrias replied, "We still don't know what the bastard is fully capable of..." then towards 'Necro', "You have anything to say?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Snake."

"Even if we devise a concrete plan, if this is all we're fighting him with, it most likely will not be enough," Raziel added.

"Something is better than nothing," Zinnia replied, "We'll _still_ be better suited if we have a plan...even if it's one that doesn't work."

"What good is a plan when he already knows what half of it is ahead of time? He cannot see us," Raziel said, gesturing to himself and the other Omniversals, "But he can see you. All of you. He knows everything you're talking about, everything you do, everything you're going to do, before you've even thought of doing it. If he wanted you all dead, you'd be dead."

"Then why would he keep us alive?" Dash asked, "This guy has been trying to take us down and failing...yet you're saying that he's just toying with us? Why?"

"Perhaps he's lost some of that 'all-knowing omnipresence' typical of you Omniversals when he decided to become Deitus' bitch," Alex scowled.

"Because of us," Synthia responded, "He's known about us since before we even ended up here. If I had to guess, he's been keeping you alive because eventually, we'd have to show up to bail your sorry asses out of this mess. So, basically, we've been keeping you alive the entire time you've been his toys."

"That just raises yet another question. How did he know so much about us to begin with?" Alexia asked.

"And for that matter, how is he even as strong as we are?" Robert added.

"I can answer that," Necrodusk chimed in, "Deitus has been feeding him power...I think Vergil taught him how to control his Lifehunt ability. Then, after Vergil sacrificed himself in the ritual to unleash him from Purgatory, Deitus rebuilt Vergil's body with the help of a Shard of Manus..."

"Which is what brought _me_ here," Nick interrupted, "Oh, did you guys forget about me? You monsters."

"Fuck off," Alex responded, not even casting the boy a glance.

"You better be nice to me, I have your sword."

"Who the hell is this guy?" Violet asked.

"Ignore him," Alex responded, "Not important."

"Rude!" Nick responded with scoff, forcing a seat between Alex and Cynder, much to their annoyance.

"Seriously, who the hell is this idiot and why is he here at all?" Violet asked again.

Completely ignoring her, Nick replied, "Soooo...what are you guys talkin' about?"

"Nothing, Nick."

"Then why are you all hanging out here?"

"Go away, Nick," Dash said.

"C'mon," Nick whined, "You guys love me. Even you weirdos, who don't even recognize me. Haven't you ever heard of the motherfrikkin' Power Keeper?" he asked the Omniversals, "Seriously though, why didn't you invite me to your party? I feel left out."

"Because you're not needed here," Alex replied with a growl.

"You always need me," Nick replied with a wide grin, "I have your sword," he said in a singsong tune.

"And I'll kill you for it," Necrodusk replied, to which Nick fell silent, "And you can't even hurt me, dumbass."

"Clearly we haven't, if we have to ask you. Jackass," Violet said, clearly annoyed.

"Anyways," Alexia started, attempting to get the conversation back on track, "Even if this 'Deitus' was feeding him power, he cannot be on our level. Our power comes from the Omniverse itself, which is a infinitely growing collection of multiverses, some of which come together to form omniverses in their own right. Even with all the power he has as a Multiversal of Base World, and with whatever he's gotten elsewhere, he simply can't be. Unless he's been leeching off of one of us, which... clearly he hasn't been."

"Any other ideas then?" Terrias asked, "Anyway, the point is. What are we going to do? How are we going to stop Vergil, kill the Alpha Breaker, and take New Alexandria back from _Filios Diaboli_?"

"Wait..." Raziel said, deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, he started again, "Synthia, how _did_ you get here to begin with?"

"I dunno. It was some kind of portal in the Everfree Forest back in Equestria. Took a detour through some other hellhole before getting here. Why is this relevant?"

"Because this hellhole you speak of is the answer to our problem."

"What are you talking about, Raz?" Faythe asked.

"Violet, when did you and Faythe encounter this 'Wraith' character?"

"Not too long after you sent Syn off by herself. Not that that really matters."

"It _does_ matter. When Alex sent himself, Queen Twilight, Kira, and everything associated with them through that portal, both he and Twilight ended up in Base World. But then, where's Kira? If she was here, she'd have made herself known long before now. She must be there instead. Kira is the one that Vergil is drawing his extra power from. Much like how you were powerless when you first got here, he would have been powerless there, as that world is still connected to the Omniverse, however faintly, and not Base World. But he wasn't. He had the powers given to him by this 'Deitus'. We must rescue her; in doing so, we sever his only connection to the Omniverse and the extra power it comes with."

"How do you know she's even there, of all places?" Synthia asked.

"Because it's the _Untamed Nightmare_. There is still much about it that I haven't told you. As a fabricated world, it can take any appearance that the one who controls it desires. You wouldn't recognize it as it is now because Queen Twilight is no longer in control of it. Wraith is. It has existed for millennia, in countless different forms. The three of us have tried to destroy it and never could. Then I made the mistake of sharing our power with Kira. All so I wouldn't lose her... and I lost her anyway, far sooner than I would have if I just left her out of it. She was corrupted with dark magic, but we failed to realize it before it was too late. By the time I realized what happened, the others were already dead; she absorbed their power, and she was coming for me next. By myself, there was nothing I could do to help her then, but the six of you can finally save her now."

"Well, so we have a plan then," Terrias said, "You guys sever his connection to the Omniverse, and we'll finish off his mortal form down here."

"That leaves two pieces of critical information missing..." Alex interrupted.

"Which are...?"

"How do we kill him? And how the actual _fuck_ are we gonna kill the Alpha Breaker?"

"If you give me some time, I might be able to turn up something on the Alpha Breaker..." Azazel spoke up, voice small and shy.

"And I'm sure Sam can dig up something on how to kill Vergil once we sever his connection to the Omniverse," Zinnia added.

"And once we take care of Vergil—or at least once we figure out how to kill the sonuvabitch—we'll launch a counteroffensive to wrestle New Alexandria back from _Filios Diaboli_ ," Dash finished with a sly, almost sadistic grin.

"We appreciate the help guys," Terrias said, addressing the Omniversals, even though his eyes remained fixated on Alex, "We _all_ do."

At this point, Alex's mind began to wander, and he turned to the strange, waking vision he had encountered, and his ethereal conversation with the mysterious Vigil and Viola. What were they planning exactly? And _why_ would they show him that vision unless it had some sort of relevance to the situation at hand? Were they trying to prevent the fusion of Messorem as well? Alex's eyes turned towards Ruby, who didn't seem to notice him, and he focused on her features, examining her beauty—the almost angelic glow of her skin in the sunlight, the fine, almost fragile features of her body...he grinned at the thought that this youthful, shy girl was soon going to become his loving wife and mother of his children. Thinking of their relationship brought his mind back to the tale of Messorem and Vitam, and this, thus, brought him back to the vision he had seen. Should he tell them? Would anyone understand what it meant? Would the _Omniversals_ understand? For now, he filed it away as irrelevant to the situation at hand, and he set aside the vision and an explanation for a later time, once the initial threat here was neutralized.

'Necro' shifted in his seat, noticeably stiffening, and just as Alex opened his mouth to speak, Terrias said, "You have something to add?"

'Necro' remained silent for several moments, as if debating whether to speak or not, before he shook his head, "No."

"You sure? Your body language says otherwise."

"I have nothing to say," the general replied bitterly, "But perhaps you should ask your friend over there..." he nodded towards Alex, "The boy's mind is wandering...it seems he has something to say."

"Alex?" Terrias asked, "What is it?"

The Commander, casting them a deer-in-the-headlights gaze, only shook his head abruptly, "Nothing...I mean, nothing important."

"If it has anything to do with this weird celestial shit going on, it might be _very_ important. What do you have to say?"

Casting unsure glances towards the rest of his comrades, Alex finally sighed, "Remember when I was sent to the Omniverse, Terrias? When we were coming back from our fishing trip?"

"Yeah."

"Remember Vigil and Viola?"

"Vaguely..."

"Who?" Synthia asked.

"Two creatures that called themselves Multiversals..." then Alex continued, "Anyway, they occasionally pop up to give me some vague-ass piece of information. Recently, they sent me back to a battle going on in Ancient, Classical Rome. Apparently Mars is the Roman take on Messorem, Venus is the Roman take on Vitam, and the Roman pantheon represents Messorem's _Old Regime_. They made a point to say that these ancient Roman gods became famous when they sacrificed their lives to delay the fusion of Messorem...somehow they _actually_ reset the reincarnation cycle. They made a point to say that we could do it again, somehow. Our destiny is in our hands, and if we can figure out how, we can _actually_ delay the fusion of Messorem and reset the cycle of reincarnations...just like they did."

"How?" Terrias asked.

"I..." Alex shook his head, "I don't know..."

"So, you mean to tell me that we're _not_ living in the end of days?" Ruby asked.

"We are..." Alex replied, "But this isn't the _first_ time that the Base World has seen the 'final reincarnations of Messorem's _Old Regime_ ', in fact, its entirely possible that the 'final reincarnations' have turned up hundreds if not thousands of times throughout history. But the cycle _can_ be reset, delaying the end of the world for another five, six thousand years."

"How?"

"I'm not sure...they wouldn't say. They just said it was possible."

"Do you know anything about this?" Terrias asked the Omniversals, "This...Vigil and Viola?"

"They're twins," Alex added, "They claim to be Multiversals who know much of Vergil and his plight, but they _refuse_ to give us any helpful information for...whatever reason, and they show up at the most inconvenient of times."

"I don't know who they are. They certainly aren't with us. I wouldn't trust anything they say," Raziel responded, "Anyways, I have formed my own plan for destroying Vergil once and for all. Simply killing him will not work; his consciousness must be imprisoned, otherwise he could transfer over to anyone or anything else, and you wouldn't know until it was too late. Luckily for you, I have the means to do so. So I will go with you to destroy him. You'll need at least one of us, anyway; he cannot manipulate time while I'm around, but he can still manipulate space. You'll need someone to tell you where not to stand. As for Synthia and the others—"

"Actually, we have our _own_ plans," Synthia said.

"What would those be?"

"Something similar to what you want us to do. But with a few additions. We have a deal to uphold, after all."

"Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea!" Nick chimed in.

"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Terrias sighed, rubbing his forehead with one of his three-fingered paws.

"What is it, Nick?" Zinnia asked, exasperated.

"Why don't you just let me stab him with the Power Keeper Blade? It _is_ designed to kill demons after all."

"The boy has a point," Necrodusk added, " _Soulreaper_ itself cannot actually _kill_ Vergil, but we may be able to weaken him enough that the Omniversals can finish him off."

"What about _Bloodreaver_?" Alex queried.

" _Bloodreaver_ was designed to slay mortals, it would have no effect on Vergil."

"So why the fuck are we supposed to get the sword from the Archreaper's Legion then?"

"Because you can still use it, in tandem with _Soulreaper_ ,to kill the Alpha Breaker. Vergil is simply a threat to this universe...the Alpha Breaker is a threat to the entire Greater Multiverse."

"How are we gonna get _Bloodreaver_ anyway?" Dash asked, "The last time we paid the Legion a visit, we barely made it out with our asses intact."

"We'll figure out something," Alex replied.

"Yeah, well you may wanna figure it out quick," Eli scowled, arms crossed at his chest, "We're runnin' out of time."

"Just send the entirety of Alpha there," Rocket added, "Especially now that we're all on the same friggin' page again."

"Can the Omniversals help us?" Ruby asked, "With their help, the Legion will be a piece of cake!"

"Don't you guys think you're missin' one _very_ important point?" Rocket began.

"Which is...?" Zinnia replied, irritated.

"Vergil can puppet souls...it wouldn't be too hard for him to just hijack our bodies to have us take each other out. As long as he can control us, we're screwed."

"How are we gonna stop _this_?" Alex scowled, " _Nobody_ in the Base World can puppet souls, so where is _this_ power coming from!?"

"I have a solution, and although it's possible, it'll be very difficult. Thankfully, it should be easier now we're in near-apocalyptic times and the Vault of Souls in Heaven is running dry..." Necrodusk began, "If we can find a being who was born _without_ a soul, Vergil cannot control them."

"How the hell do we decide if a person has a soul or not?"

"We don't," Necrodusk replied, "At least, not unless we can compare their weights pre and post-mortem...but by then it's too late, and they're already dead."

"Isn't it something like 'eyes are the windows to the soul'?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, but you won't be able to tell—unless you have a trained eye—whether or not there _is_ a soul just by looking into someone's eyes. Unfortunately, I do not possess that particular knowledge."

"Who does?" 

"Nobody I'm aware of," Necrodusk sighed, "The last Soul-Reader that I know of died with Ophelia."

"Ember..." Alex suddenly said, silencing the table.

"What about her?" Cynder asked.

"Wait, wait, wait...who the _hell_ is Ember?" Rocket asked.

"That dragon-girl that Piermont kept driving away?" Cynder replied.

"Oh! Right, right...yeah, I remember her...what about her, Alex?"

"She's the reincarnation of Ophelia, right?"

Necrodusk fell silent, "Indeed she is..."

"So what does all this mean then?" Zinnia asked, "Where are you going with this?"

"Simple..." Alex replied, "We need to find her."

"But how?" Dash asked, "After Pierre drove her away, we haven't seen or heard from her, and she's _always_ been good at vanishing off the radar!"

"We'll have to draw her out...somehow. I had a telepathic connection to her, but it severed after she saved my life back in Coulson."

"So our next objective then, we need to find that girl," Spyro said.

"Where would we even _start_ that chase?" Cynder asked, "I mean, Jesus, she could be anywhere in the world or the entire universe!"

"We should probably start in Alagaesia, that's where she hails from," Alex said, "And go from there."

"Yeah? I doubt Alagaesia will be very happy to see the world's most powerful army walking around in their territory...especially when said army has a history of toppling empires and annexing kingdoms."

"We're on neutral terms with them," Alex replied, "They'll let us through."

"They ceased trade to Tamriel after you and Ulfric drove the Empire out of Skyrim, there is no way in hell they'll be happy to let you visit them. If you remember, you had to send a small party to scout out the Archreaper's Legion because we didn't want to cause a diplomatic incident if they caught us down there."

"That's still the best lead we have," Alex sighed, "Unless you have _another_ plan."

After several moments of silence, Cynder swore, "Damn it...fine, we'll all go Alagaesia, since it seems that's our next stop anyway. While we're looking for Ember, we might as well pay our friends at the Archreaper's Legion another visit and try to wrestle _Bloodreaver_ out of their hands."

"Actually, there is more, if you'd like to finally let me say something," Synthia said, "Firstly, Rocket, the entire purpose of our half of the plan is to take away his ability to be the Puppetmaster. The reason why he can do that when no one else can is because he didn't actually give himself that power. He took it from Kira. Raziel just said that she was corrupted with dark magic. By connecting himself to the Omniverse through her, he's gained some level of profiency in dark magic, courtesy of whatever the fuck kind of world it came from, which is why he can manipulate peoples' souls. Because it was possible in that world. By purging the magic from her, we take that ability away from him and by bringing her here, we destroy the Untamed Nightmare which in turn severs his connection to the Omniverse, weakening him even further. But he will still be capable of transferring his consciousness over to a new body should he start to fail. His body must be destroyed at the same time his consciousness is forcibly transferred over to one of these." she pauses, revealing a medallion similar in appearance to the one Alex was trapped in. "Think of it as a pocket dimension of some sort. He'll still have his abilities, but they are only usable within and cannot affect anything on the outside. This medallion can also only be broken from out here, so he'll be trapped forever. That is, of course, provided you follow Raziel's plan and only his plan when it comes to getting rid of Vergil. Aside from that, go ahead and do whatever you want. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a few preparations to make before we head out."

"What preparations?" Cynder asked.

But Synthia only grinned towards the she-dragon, "January 17, 2013," before, in a flash of light, she vanished with the rest of her group, sans Raziel.

"January 17, 2013? The hell does _THAT_ mean!?" Rocket scowled, but Alex adopted a graven expression, and the raccoon turned towards the Commander, "What is it? Do you know what they were talking about?"

"The day Cosmo was murdered by _Maxian_ assassins..." Alex replied.

"Who?"

"One of our allies," Alex continued, "Could this have something to do with Tails...?"


	41. Chapter XL: Crucible

_**Chapter XL**_ **:**

 **-''Crucible''-**

 **-Altessa, Rune-**

 **- _05 March 2017_ -**

 **- _0457 Hours_ -**

Under the cover of darkness, Alpha Company carried supplies for the trip towards the _Titan_ , sitting on the edge of the city, hidden in the jungle. Before he loaded a crate of vegetables onto the aircraft, he sat it down upon the earthen ground, still wet after a fresh rainfall before taking a seat and lighting a cigarette. As he smoked, he held his remaining hand out in front of him, watching with deep concern as it trembled uncontrollably, something that figured probably should be addressed by a doctor, even though Fox—Alpha Company's physician—didn't have the tools he needed out here.

Terrias leaned against the side of ship, glancing towards his friend, "Everything okay, Alex? You look like hammered shit."

"We don't even know that she's still alive, man."

"Well, from what we've seen, she seems pretty capable of keeping herself alive to me, anyway. Why do you think she's dead?"

"Because I haven't heard or seen _anything_ of her since she busted my ass out of Coulson."

"Piermont didn't kill her, if that's what you're worried about. All he did was exile her out of Windhelm and make her promise to never return..." and the servine placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, "She's fine...we'll be, too. Don't worry."

Alex smirked, "You know me, Terrias...worrying is one of my quirks..." he took another long drag from his cigarette, exhaling towards the ground.

"Need a tug?"

"Among other things," the Commander smirked, then, "I'm still trying to wrap my head around what Vigil and Viola said...can it _really_ be possible that we can stop the Reformation from happening?"

"I'm more concerned about killing Vergil, stopping the Alpha Breaker, and taking New Alexandria back...all things _you_ should be more worried about than some weird-ass fever dream you had."

"It _wasn't_ a fever dream," Alex hissed, "It was real."

"C'mon, though...just think about it for a minute. Do you _really_ think the _Old Regime_ could become the Roman pantheon? Whatever happened to that 'thou shall have no other gods before me' bullshit that the 'good book' spits at us?"

"Look at it from my perspective, Terrias. If we were still all-powerful mutants in the less technologically-graced society of Classical Rome, don't you think the ignorant people would praise us as gods? Man needs to believe in something...that's why humankind has developed and maintained faith over the years, even when disconnected from each other in the _ye olde_ days before the Internet, planes, cars, or fucking ships."

"Yeah, and faith is why war is still rampant in the world today. Most wars are based on theological beliefs...many bitter wars throughout _history_ were fueled by religion. Eliminate faith, watch war magically go away."

"Humankind is a territorial animal, we need power, we feed off of it, we crave it. You kill our gods, and we will still tear ourselves apart in battle...if not over faith, then over control...that's why the Reapers wanted to take us down. They recognized the threat we posed, not just to other species, but to ourselves."

"Don't even _try_ to justify what the Reapers did."

"I'm not...I'm stating simple fact. The Reapers were machines, beings completely incapable of seeing the world in any colors aside from white and black. Their flaw was their inability to look past others' flaws. Humankind—as with any other sentient species in the universe—has its fair share of flaws, nothing is perfect...it was this the Reapers couldn't understand."

"Sounds like you."

Alex fell silent for a few seconds before flicking his cigarette butt into the darkness, sitting up and brushing the dirt off of the seat of his pants.

"Anyway," Terrias continued, "Try to focus on the problems at hand, all right? We'll worry about preventing the Reformation and the legitimacy of Vigil and Viola's visions at a later time, once the elephant in the room is addressed."

"You really think we'll find her alive?"

"I don't know...do you?" and Terrias grinned before disappearing into the interior of the _Titan_. Alex sighed before following the servine inside, loading the last of the cargo.

Rocket and Scarlet were the last ones to enter the ship, immediately following Ruby, Cynder, Zinnia, and Akumi—all who traveled together. While the former two immediately made their way towards the bridge, locking themselves within, Zinnia and Akumi—both engaged in hushed conversation, headed towards the lounge. Alex, standing in the cargo hold, smoking another cigarette, merely nodded towards Ruby and Cynder, both passing him loving smiles before heading upstairs as well, and the Commander leaned against the exposed wiring and supports of the unfinished ship, zoning out and looking off into the distance, losing himself in thought.

"So you had a connection to Ember?" Spyro asked, standing cautiously nearby, just out of Alex's reach.

"Of sorts," the Commander replied, "We could sense each other and had a very simplistic line of telepathic communication between us...but that line went silent after she saved me from those Hunters in North Carolina."

Spyro chanced approaching Alex, standing beside him, and after a few moments of silence, the purple dragon said, "Listen, I'm sorry for the troubled I caused. It was like...Piermont had some sort of spell over me. My mind was clouded, I was delusional, and he somehow brought out the worst in me."

"It's not me you need to apologize to, mate...it's Cynder."

"I know, and we're rebuilding. It's a slow, painful process...she's making sure that I know my faults and address them...but I think everything will be okay in the end."

"Good to hear...she's a good girl, Spyro, she deserves to be treated like a queen."

"She really loves you."

Alex shrugged, "We've been through a lot together...so have you and I. You're probably one of the oldest remaining members here now. Most of the OG Alpha Company and High Command are gone."

"I know...and it's hard to believe. Seems like just yesterday I was some chickenshit coward recruiting your ass to rescue Cynder since I was too scared to go against the _Maxia_ to do anything. I've always been weak...weaker than her...weaker than you..."

"Gotta start somewhere."

"Why did you elect me to be your second-in-command? There were so many more capable of applicants than me. Hell, _Cynder_ was more strategically gifted than me..she was a general in Malefor's army for Christ's sake! _His_ second-in-command!"

"Because you had something nobody else did."

"Which was?"

"Determination and resistance, you held strong to your beliefs and were too stubborn to be swayed. That was something that I identified with, something that I liked and admired. I identified with you, that's why I liked you. Even if we didn't always get along, even if we had our differences, I _knew_ I could trust you to pull our asses through the fire. As far as I'm concerned, you succeeded in that regard, with flying colors."

"You should have given the position to Cynder...or Terrias."

"Cynder is intelligent, true, and yes she knows more about warfare than you. However, her soft heart is a double-edged sword. On one hand, she brings out our humanity, she's sympathetic and compassionate. On the other, she can be easily swayed with the right catalyst."

"You underestimate her."

"Perhaps...but what's done is done."

"And Terrias?"

Alex pursed his lips, looking away, "Terrias is my best friend. I know he's got my back, and I know I can rely on him. But he's a lone wolf, he doesn't work well in a team, and his tendency to rogue out on his own, personal missions is completely unacceptable for such a position. I love the guy, but he's probably the most stubborn, antisocial prick I know," the Commander chuckled lightly at this, "Which is why I love the bastard. Listen, Spyro...I know you've made mistakes...hell we _all_ have...but don't let that keep you down. You're still my wingman, and I still trust you."

He straightened, "Even after all the shit I pulled with Piermont?"

"It ain't _your_ fault..." Alex replied, "He brought out the worst in _all_ of us."

"Even after the way I treated Ruby...?"

"The way you treated Ruby is cruel and unacceptable, she's still one of us, and I won't trade her for the world...but I understand why you did so. I was biased... _heavily_ biased...I let my heart and lust stand in the way of professionalism. I rush to defend her because I love her. But you _were_ right, she's weak, and an army is only as strong as its weakest player."

"She's getting stronger though, she's improving, and she's becoming one of the toughest sons of bitches in our little clique."

"Indeed she is, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by that. Ruby is the most human out of all of us, she softened me, made me find my _own_ humanity, and kept me tethered to that. She was truly, undeniably innocent, despite everything I've ever said about it. If ever there was a perfect picture of innocence...it was her, and I..." Alex shook his head, his voice cracking, "I corrupted her."

"You didn't _corrupt_ her, you made her _stronger_."

"But is that really the best thing?"

"I think so. Alex, this world would eat her alive if it weren't for you. You _saved_ her. On top of that, you gave her a reason to live, you showed her love when she spent her entirely life not knowing what it felt like, and I can tell that you both genuinely care for each other..." he chuckled sadly, "And the way her eyes lit up when my mind cleared and I saw the way she looked at Gabriel...she's lucky to have you."

"I'm lucky to have her...which is why Zinnia and I decided to pull a bait-and-switch, and I take _her_ to the altar instead."

"Cynder told me something about that...it'll mean so much to her, y'know? You mean a lot to her."

"I know."

"Anyway, I should probably head upstairs...talk to you later, Alex."

"Yep..." the Commander replied, falling silent and remaining in place as Spyro disappeared upstairs, leaving Alex alone.

At last, the Commander finally headed upstairs towards the lounge, finding his unit trying to catch up on missed sleep. He sat down next to Ruby, gently laying his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She stirred from her sleep, blinking briefly towards him before curling against his chest, resting her head on him and returning to sleep. As he held the sleeping girl, his own eyes grew tired and he decided to steal some sleep himself.

"Wake up boys an' girls," Rocket began over the intercom, "We're above Alagaesia."

The _Titan_ landed shortly after, the door pulling open with a pneumatic hiss before the ship's occupants stepped out into a misty forest. Through the clearing in the canopy above, the skies were heavily overcast, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Storm's gonna be a doozy," Scarlet said, "Let's try to find Ember and get out of here."

"Tornado weather, that's for sure," Rocket added, "Let's make this quick."

"Where the hell do we even start?" Cynder asked, "This is the biggest fucking island in the Gothics, and there's no guarantee she's even _here_."

"I vote we try to take on the Archreaper's Legion first," Rocket said, "Bag this sword and worry about Ember later, after the storm passes."

"Onward," Terrias replied, walking forward into the forest.

"Hey! Wait up!" Rocket scowled, sprinting to catch up to the servine, "We ain't even goin' in the right direction! The camp is _this_ way," and Rocket led them in the opposite direction.

As the thunder grew closer and a light drizzle came down through the canopy, Alex clambered onto Dash's back and the group continued traversing the precarious foothills. The mountain trails were narrow and uneven, abrupt drop offs were common, and the Commander briefly wondered if they were even going the right way. At last, they stopped on the edge of a cliff, and in the distance he could make out the ramshackle settlement where the Archreaper's Legion resided.

"Looks like somethin's going on down there," Rocket said, "Did they get sacked?"

Thick, black smoke rose from the camp, pouring from the camp, although there were no visible fires. Fishing around in his satchel, Alex pulled out his binoculars planting them firmly against his eyes and scanning the horizon. "You see anything?" Dash asked.

The Commander panned the camp, focusing on a large group of people standing around in the center of the town, pumping their arms and swords into the air, "Something's going on, that's for sure..." he passed the binoculars to Terrias, who took his own peek.

"No _shit_ something's going on down there...some kinda celebration?"

"Lemme see," and Terrias passed the binoculars to Zinnia, "Looks like they're preoccupied over something. That, or someone pissed them off..." she handed the binoculars back to Alex, who slipped them back into his pouch, calling for Dash to take flight. The pegasus glided down the gray, stony cliffside, the dragons of the _Commander's Wing_ flying close by. They soon landed at the base of the cliff, immediately taking off towards the settlement, following the column of smoke to its source.

They paused again on a hilly overlook, still a few miles outside of the city, this time presented with a better vantage point of the square and the source of the smoke. There were _two_ fires burning, one was a house on the northern end of the village, somewhat outside of the settlement, up in the surrounding hills, the other was a massive bonfire in the heart of the town, and even from this distance, they could hear the roaring and catcaling of the Legion.

"Oh shit..." Zinnia exclaimed, "Looks like they're beating somebody up."

Once more pulling out his binoculars, Alex focused on the square, heart sinking as he said, "Oh no...Ember..."

Ember was thrown to the ground with such force that the wind was knocked out of her. As she gasped for breath, the battered dragon struggled to crawl away. "Grab the Oracle!" one of the townsmen cried, "Beat her for her sins!"

"Stop..." Ember said in a small voice, unable to summon any breath to speak before she was kicked in the stomach by the man who had relayed the order. Instantly, she was surrounded by the cackling townsfolk, taking turns kicking and beating the dragon girl, curled into a small ball.

"I think she could use a few more lashes!" another voice called, answered with roaring applause.

"No...please, stop..." she began, but was interrupted as two masked men shoved their way towards her, both wielding cat o'nine tails. She curled into a small ball, praying for relief as the two men lashed her repeatedly, the barbed strips slicing through her damaged, golden armor and striking her fine, soft scales, tearing into her flesh. This only brought on more laughter from the cultists who joined in on the fun, beating her with whatever clubs or whips they could find.

"Stop this at once!" Ezekiel's booming voice roared over the chaos, silencing the crowd, "In order to atone for her sins and liberate us from this curse she has wrought upon us, she must be sacrificed to the Archreaper with his ancient blade..." and the gaily-cloaked man revealed the broken hilt of _Bloodreaver_ from beneath his dress, "String her to the Spear of Retribution!"

"No!" Ember cried, finally finding her voice as two of Ezekiel's deacons grabbed one of her arms each, dragging her towards the makeshift bonfire in the center of town. Two other deacons finished their prayers and blessings upon a charred pole sticking out of the rubble, and the ones who dragged Ember across the dirt pulled her up a makeshift ramp over the bonfire, oblivious to the burns to the soles of their bare feet, or the tender scales to Ember's severely lashed and lacerated back, "Please! Don't do this!"

Within seconds, she had been securely bound to the pole, still above the hungry fire roaring beneath her, and as she struggled to break free, the two deacons stepped down from their post, making way for Archdeacon Ezekiel to climb to the platform. Upon reaching it, the two masked men, still wielding their whips, abruptly stomped on the flimsy ramp, snapping the board in two and sending both halves plummeting into the hungry fires below.

"You did this to yourself, Oracle," Ezekiel whispered, leaning in close to Ember, then turning to face the crowd, he preached, "For many eons, she and her family have deceived us! They have led us astray from the noble and righteous path the Archreaper has set us upon! This has brought a curse upon us all, and now, we must pay for her deception!"

Just as he said this, another Minor Beam fired down from the skies, into the center of the town, behind the bonfire. Ember, still bound, could only stare, wide-eyed, as the flames drew ever closer to her. She continued tearing and twisting, attempting to break free, "You're making a mistake!"

"No! We have done nothing but _make_ mistakes since we agreed to follow your guidance, Oracle!" Ezekiel roared, "It's time we redeem ourselves, so that the Archreaper may close these pillars of white death and bring about the end of this apocalypse!"

"It's not Messoremel's doing, it's-!" but she was silenced and dazed by an abrupt punch to the head by Ezekield.

"Blasphemy! How _dare_ you utter the Archreaper's true name!"

Ember attempted to raise her head to protest, but her eyes rolled into the back of her skull and she slumped in place, falling still.

It was this sight that sent Alex over the edge, " _NO!_ " he roared, "Dash! Move it! We need to save her!"

"On it!" the pegasus replied, rocketing at her full speed towards the settlement, the dragons struggling to keep up.

As they neared Shadowfall, Alex could hear Ezekiel's voice ring out, as clear as day, barely louder than a whisper, regardless of the distance between them or the tumult he was speaking over, "For countless generations, your line has preached to us of the Archreaper's return, that we are His chosen people, and that He will sweep us away with the beating of His mighty wings to the glorious afterlife before the End of Days falls upon us. For countless generations, we have heard your lies, we have mistaken them for truth, and now the End is near, and the Archreaper is no closer to returning to take His church away! You have led us into eternal damnation, and now, the only way to appease the Archreaper's wrath is to send you to His judgment with the very blade, from your ancestor's blood, was forged!"

"Faster, Dash!" Alex screeched.

"Damn it! I'm going as fast as I can!" the pegasus hissed.

"No longer will we listen to your lies! No longer will your blood continue to taint ours! The Archreaper as my witness, may your blood satiate this ancient blade!"

By now, Dash rocketed over the walls into Shadowfall, just outside of the square. "I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!" Alex roared, instantly attracting the attention of the deathly silent townsfolk. Instantly, wild whispers and gasps rolled throughout the crowd, and Ezekiel pointed toward him, "Blasphemer! You dare to wear the sacred armor of the Archreaper!? Bring him to me!"

Alex barely had time to withdraw his swords as the crowd approached him. He cut them down as swiftly as he could, but it didn't take long before their sheer aggression and numbers managed to overpower him, and before too long, with the dragons still a mile or two out and the rest of Alpha Company an unknown distance away, he and Dash were overwhelmed and captured, being held firm and effortlessly dragged towards the center of town. Alex struggled to tear free, but the townsfolk restraining him at unnatural and unholy strength, and he found that he couldn't even budge their iron grip, Dash fared no better.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Blasphemer?" Ezekiel hissed, pointing _Bloodreaver_ at the Commander accusingly.

"You're insane!" Alex screeched, "I _AM_ Messorem's reincarnation, morons!"

"Your lies only bring you closer to death!" Ezekiel protested.

"Alex..." Ember groaned, glancing weakly up to face the Commander.

"Silence, beast!" Ezekiel roared, once more delivering a knockout blow to Ember's cheek.

His breathing grew rapid, an uncontrollable fire of fury and an insatiable lust for blood lit up in the Commander's eyes, and with a blink, his eyes became two glowing orbs of red. He screeched, voice inhuman as he he began to take on his Phoenix Form. However, something changed, and Messorem's armor warped and twisted out of place, seeming to almost _fuse_ with the creature. Instead of a flaming bird of hell, his body was made of gold-fringed, black shadow, the horns of Messorem's helmet twisting into those of a dragon, the helmet itself twisting into a form reminiscent of a dragon's skull. Dragonian wings replaced those of the bird, still made of shadow, the Phoenix's talons extended and angled into the mighty, muscular legs of a dragon. Instead of the Phoenix, Alex had taken on the form, of a large, shadow-dragon, a form not unlike Necrodusk claimed to possess.

Instantly, the townsfolk dropped their pitchforks and clubs, gasping and falling back. A few collapsed to their knees, bowing before their master, "The Archreaper has returned!" they chanted.

"Kill him!" Ezekiel roared, but he was ignored by his followers.

"The Oracle was right!" a voice cried out, "The Archreaper has come to sweep us away!"

With a furious, animalistic roar, the shadow-dragon bowed its head towards the worshipping cultists, opening its maw and spewing gold-fringed, black flame onto them, melting the skin off their bones almost instantly before collapsing them into piles of ash. Each beat of the dragon's wings scattered the ash into the wind, painting the culists behind them. Terrified, they began to fall back towards the bonfire, but the shadow-dragon continued forth, burning each and every one of them into ash.

"Holy shit!" Dash exclaimed, startled before turning her attention towards Ember, rocketing towards her as fast as she could, being sure to keep a wide berth between the transformed Commander and herself.

Just as Spyro and Cynder announced their arrival with hearty roars, Dash landed smoothly on the small platform with Ezekiel and the bound Ember. The Archdeacon took a swing at the pegasus with _Bloodreaver_ 's hilt, but she ducked beneath it, swiftly roundhousing him off the platform and into a crumpled pile on the ground, twenty feet below, just outside of the bonfire's reach. "Not this time, punk!" Dash cackled, leaping onto her rear legs before swiftly boxing the air with her front hooves in victory. Back on all fours, she quickly ran to the semi-conscious Ember, badly beaten, bruised, and bloody, suffering from major burns to her lower extremities as the flames finally breached the thin, flimsy, thatch platform beneath them. She quickly cut the dragon-girl down, nudging her onto her back and saying, "Hold on, I got ya, bud," before taking a running leap off of the platform before it could collapse completely beneath her, gliding safely to the ground. Once they were far enough away from the bonfire, the furious dragon, and the panicking cultists, Dash gently nudged Ember off her back and onto the ground, attempting to heal whatever wounds she could, "You'll be okay, Ember..." she soothed, "Don't worry, you're safe now. You're with friends."

With Spyro and Cynder taking out the rest of the cultists, Alex's rage subsided enough that he was able to regain his normal form, and he collapsed forward to the ground, out of breath, energy sapped. He slowly picked himself up, every muscle in his body protesting with screaming agony, and taking one step forward, he nearly collapsed once again, if not for a nearby kart that he was able to lean on.

"Jesus Christ! What happened here!?" Zinnia asked, and Alex turned to see the rest of Alpha Company sprinting into the chaotic square.

"I don't...I don't quite know, exactly..." Alex replied, his heart racing.

"Where'd that big-ass dragon go?" Rocket asked.

"Was that you?" Cynder asked, landing beside him.

"I...I think..." and he closed his eyes, hissing stills off the carnage he had recently dealt flashed through his mind, searing his head like a red-hot brand against his brain.

"So you have _another_ new form? God damn it, man. Why can't _I_ ever get cool transformations?" Terrias said, helping Alex to stand upright.

The Commander now leaning on his friend for support, Alex only said, "I don't even know how it happened...one second I was turning into the phoenix and the next...it was like this armor came alive...and it fused with my soul and I...I don't know."

"You think the armor turned you into that dragon?"

"It sounds ridiculous, I know, but..."

"Ridiculous? Hell you talking about? It's just another day at the office," Terrias replied, "Well, recent days anyway. I've learned to expect everything now we're at the edge of Armageddon."

His eyes falling upon Dash and Ember at the far edge of the square, Alex sighed, "Ember...!" and he hurried over, Terrias supporting him.

A raspy cough and a hoarse voice snarled from behind them, "You will all burn in the fires of Hellfor this!"

Alex paused in place, nearly knocking both him and Terrias to the ground. Instantly, baring his teeth in anger, the Commander's head snapped around to see Ezekiel laying on the ground, writhing in place. Both of his arms and legs were twisted in awkward, unnatural positions, yet the old man still seemed to be alive, even if just barely.

Alex gently nudged Terrias off of him, approaching the wounded man.

"Wait, Alex...!" Terrias began.

"Terrias, go see to Ember...I'll take care of this prick," Alex replied.

"Very well," Terrias sighed, jogging to where the rest of Alpha Company was gathering around the dragon-girl.

"You might be able to kill me, but when Judgment Day comes, you will _wish_ that you didn't interrupt my ritual!" Ezekiel spat, "You hear me, boy? I am your only chance of salvation! I am the median between this world and the Archreaper!" and he succumbed to another fit of coughing, blood running from his mouth and nose.

Alex slowly crouched beside the man, cocking his head to stare at the vengeful Archdeacon, his eyes snapping between Ezekiel and the broken _Bloodreaver_ laying discarded nearby.

"Without me, you and the rest of this world will burn in Hell!"

In a swift, fluid motion, Alex grabbed _Bloodreaver_ 's hilt, thrusting it deeply into Ezekiel's chest. The old man gasped for breath, blood pooling in his mouth as the colorful cloth covering his chest slowly turned red, "Perhaps...but so will you," and baring his teeth, he drilled the blade even deeper into the man's heart until he stilled, his rapid, shallow breathing ceasing completely, his head rolling to the side. Only once he was sure the Archdeaon was dead, did Alex carelessly tear the bloodsoaked, sharpened hilt out of the man's chest, cleaning it on the man's cloak before standing upright, sliding it through a belt loop on his pants.

"How is she?" the Commander asked, gently shoving his way through to the front of his comrades before crouching as Ember's side. He lowered his head to hers, placing his ear over hear mouth. When he couldn't feel her breathing, he righted to his crouch once again, placing his fingers against the soft, almost rubbery scale of her fleshy neck, relieved to feel a pulse, however weak it was.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Cynder said, "And I mean an _actual_ hospital...she won't survive if we take her back to the Gothics."

"Fox is there."

"True, but without any equipment, she's not going to survive, these bastards roughed her up pretty badly."

"We'll take her to Fox first, see what he can do."

Cynder sighed in exasperation, "Fine, but don't say I didn't tell you so."

"Can you carry us both?"

"Of course."

"Awesome..." Alex turned to the rest of his comrades, "Cynder and I will go ahead with Ember back to Altessa, I'll see the rest of you when you get back."

The others agreed with the decision.

"Wait!" Ruby suddenly said, "Can I come with you?"

"That's probably not a good idea, Ruby," Alex said, noticing that the girl seemed visibly upset, "Listen, with Ember and I, we're already taxing Cynder to maximum capacity, and we're on a short timeframe. Go with the others and I'll see you when you come back, okay?"

She frowned, obviously upset with the decision, but otherwise submission, sighing, she said, "Okay..." and Alex hugged her, kissing her forehead before turning to Terrias, "Keep an eye on her, okay?"

"Of course, Alex," the servine replied, then nodding towards Ruby, "Let's go."

While the others departed, heading back towards the _Titan_ , Alex mounted Cynder, settling Ember between himself and the she-dragon's throat. As the dragoness took flight, she said, "You know, Ruby won't add much weight...I could take her, too. Hell, she's even _lighter_ now that she's human."

"I know," Alex replied, "But I just need some time to cool down after everything that's going on, and I don't need Ruby pestering me with twenty questions or her panicking over Ember's safety. I just want a nice, quiet flight back home."

"Very well then," Cynder submitted with an exasperated sigh.

"C'mon, Cyn...I'm soon going to be spending the rest of my life with her as my wife, I think I can ask for some time alone _without_ her hanging all over me."

"True..." the dragoness chuckled, "But if you were _really_ particular about enjoying the time you have left as a bachelor, you wouldn't have _me_ being the one taking you back to Rune."

"Yeah, well...I still trust you more than Spyro right now. 'Sides, last I checked, _you're_ my bonded dragon."

Cynder shrugged, "Okay, okay...fair enough."

"Now let's hurry, I don't know how much longer Ember has."


	42. Chapter XLI: Ember

_**Chapter XLI**_ **:**

 **-''Ember''-**

 **-Altessa, Rune-**

 **- _07 March 2017_ -**

 **- _0325 Hours_ -**

Alex twirled the tarnished, golden, and runed hilt of _Bloodreaver_ in his hands, sitting in a chair outside, listening to the crickets chirping around him. The rest of his family—Ruby, Cynder, Gabriel, and Azazel—were sleeping soundly inside, and only he and Blake perched on his shoulder were still awake. Even the bird was dozing off on his shoulder, occasionally snapping awake to correct her perch. He brought her back inside before reclaiming his seat on the perch, once more picking up the broken hilt, examining it by candlelight. It didn't appear that the blade was _actually_ broken, in fact, it seemed that the blade was only one or two inches long by design, sharpened to a fine point, almost impossible to reach in combat due to the two-inch long guards.

"So, you retrieved the ancient _Bloodreaver_?" Necrodusk said in amazement, suddenly strolling up the sidewalk towards the Commander, "Indeed I did," and wearing a grin, Alex handed it to the purified demon, who gently picked up the weapon, caressing the runes with a tender touch. "It has been so long since I held you in my hands..."

"How can that thing hurt anybody? Those guards make it impossible to stab anything."

"The blade must be restored before it can be used to its full potential."

"How do we do that?"

"Did you bring Ophelia?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, but she's completely out of it, the Legion fucked her up pretty badly."

"Where is she now?"

"Fox is taking care of her."

"I see...we'll have to see her as soon as possible then, in order to restore _Bloodreaver_ , we _need_ her."

"I don't see how she can help us."

"She's the only one that can."

"How?"

" _Bloodreaver_ was forged in Ophelia's blood, along with _Soulreaper_. It hungers, and to restore it to its former glory, it must once again taste her blood."

"That sounds...dark."

"If you desire to kill the Alpha Breaker, it is necessary..." then, "What are you doing still awake? You humans need sleep, no?"

"I do, yes...but I can't sleep as long as Ember's dying on a fuckin' operating table."

"I see..." then, peering towards the crescent moon, "When you are allowed to see her again, come retrieve me, and I will show you how to restore this dangerous blade..." he handed it back to Alex, "For now, you hang onto it. Even while in its pitiful state, the blade sings sweetly to me, it calls for the taste of blood, the glory of death and war. It is a maddening tune that if I listen any longer, I may break beneath its siren song."

Without another second, Necrodusk hurried off, vanishing into the night, and Alex once more wrapped _Bloodreaver_ 's hilt into the old, dingy cloth he had been storing it in, wrapping a strip of leather around it to keep the cloth wrapped before slipping back inside of his house, quietly extinguishing the lanterns and entering his bedroom, crawling into bed with Ruby and drifting to sleep, curled around his unknowing _fianc_ _é_.

"You called for us?" Alex asked as Fox opened the door to his house early that morning.

"Yes," the bloodstained doctor replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and standing aside to let the Commander and Necrodusk into his house.

"Where is she?" the demon asked.

"In the kitchen, on the table."

Necrodusk hurried ahead and Alex thanked the doctor before rushing forward to catch up.

"She came to for a few seconds, was saying something about this 'cursed child' that she's supposed to kill, I don't know."

Once in the kitchen, illuminated by candlelight, Necrodusk stood at the head of the table, looking down towards Ember's scarred, burned feet while Alex pulled up a seat by her head, turned to the side, "Hey...are you with us, mate?" Alex said in a soft voice.

"No..." she groaned, "The child...I must...kill...the child..."

"She's been running a dangerously high fever all night," Fox sighed, dousing a bloody rag in cold water and folding it several times, laying it over her forehead, "I can't contain it, even with the same pills I use on the other dragons when _they_ get sick."

"What's her temperature?"

"Peaked at a hundred and fifty..." Fox sighed, "I don't know what else to do."

"She's cooking in her armor."

"Her body's so swollen I can't get it off of her," the doctor replied, "I've been trying."

"Shit..."

"What's this 'child' she keeps talking about? Gabriel?"

"Don't see why it would be," Alex responded, reaching into his satchel and pulling out a small, metal box. Undoing the clasps, he reached in, pulling out a syringe gun and a vial of clear, red liquid, so bright in color it was almost luminescent.

"What are you doing? Her body won't be able to survive the mutation!"

"It saved Ruby, it can save her."

"And if it _kills_ her?"

"Then that's on _me_ ," Alex scowled, loading a vial into the gun and gently nudging her head to the side away from him. Fox handed him a clean rag and a bottle of whiskey, and once Alex had cleaned the area, he searched for her jugular vein, placing the business end of the gun against her throat and leaning in close, "Listen," he whispered, "You'll feel a light pinch, okay? Hopefully, you'll feel better after though," and with a light, pneumatic hiss, the vial's contents emptied into her body. She groaned in agony, her body stiffening before violently convulsing, and Alex roared to the others, "Hold her down!" firmly holding his hands against her shoulder and arm, he whispered, "Shh...shh...it's okay, it's okay. Calm down, we're here, you're safe."

Finally, her seizing stopped and her body went limp beneath him. Suddenly worried, Alex leaned an ear close to her mouth, listening for a breath while Fox checked her pulse. Instantly, her ice-blue eyes snapped open and she abruptly sat up, grabbing Alex by the throat and throwing him across the kitchen. Necrodusk summoned small balls of shadow in his hand, but the swift dragon-girl soon knocked _him_ aside, too, shoving past Fox and racing out the front door, screaming, "I must kill the child!"

"Ember!" Alex coughed, standing up and running after her, "Wait! Come back!" he stood in the doorway, watching as she made her way towards his house, and he telepathically cried out, _Ruby! Alert the others! Ember's coming after you and I think she's going to try and kill Gabriel!_

Ember tore through the front door, lunging into the living room on all fours, foaming at the mouth, a feral, almost animalistic glimmer in her eyes. "Where are you?" she growled, her usually deep voice raspy, almost corpselike, "Where are you _hiding_?"

"What's going on!?" Azazel cried, running into the living room, carrying Gabriel. Instantly, Ember's eyes snapped up to meet his, and she bore her fangs at him before running after him at full sprint.

"There you are!"

"Mom! Help!" Azazel cried, narrowly managing to slip into the bedroom before she could reach him. As he struggled to hold the door closed, he handed Gabriel to Ruby while Cynder rushed to join in the defense. Despite their best efforts, Ember tore through the door, knocking it off its hinges and leaping into the room, pausing in the middle, her wild eyes scanning around her as she sniffed the air.

"Where are you?" she hissed, "I have your scent, demon!"

Cynder lifed the door off of her and the goat boy, allowing time for Azazel to scurry out before she slipped out herself. Once both were out from beneath the fallen door, Azazel immediately turned around and ran back into the living room, gasping for breath and choking through tears. Instantly, Ember turned towards him, growling lowly and baring her fangs once again before taking off, in hot pursuit of the goat boy, "I've got you now, Child of Demons! Your head is _MINE_!"

Azazel spilled out onto the dark, early morning streets, screaming for help, running as fast as he can, too frightened to look back to see how close the dragon girl was to closing the distance between the two, "She's trying to kill me!" he screamed, "Somebody! _HELP_!"

Almost immediately after, Ember pounced upon him from behind him, clawing at him, her jaws snapping at his throat.

"Don't hurt me!" the goat boy cried, "Please! I-I didn't do anything! Please stop!"

"Ember!" Alex roared, tackling her and knocking her off of the sobbing, bleeding goat boy. Azazel rapidly crawled away, running down the street. The Commander, meanwhile, straddled Ember, pushing his entire weight down on her, "Let me go, insect!" she screeched, "You cannot stop my mission! As the Adjudicator, the defender of the Greater Multiverse, it's _MY_ responsibility to kill that meddling child of demons!"

"Snap out of it!" Alex roared, wrapping his hands around her throat, "Don't make me kill you, god dammit!"

"Where is he?" Zinnia asked, arriving with Terrias and the rest of Alpha Company soon after, all out of breath.

"He kept running that way," Alex replied struggling against the snarling, frothing dragon girl.

"Do you need any help?" Spyro asked.

"No!" Alex snarled, "Get Azazel! Make sure he's okay!" then towards Ember, "Stop struggling, you idiot! I said _STOP!_ " as he tightened his grip around her throat, her skin grew pale, her breath became harder and harder to get through, and as she spastically twitched beneath him, her eyes rolled back into her head and she stilled once again, a pool of liquid gathering between her thighs. Only once she was unconscious did Alex let go of his grip, still straddling her body in the event she was only playing him.

When Ruby and Cynder finally caught up, joined by Fox, the Commander finally chanced to stand up, climbing off of her and kneeling forward, hands on his knees, catching his breath.

"What the _hell_ was _that_ all about?" Cynder asked.

"Did...did you _kill_ her?" Ruby asked timidly.

"No," Alex replied, "She's fine...I think," then to Fox, "Mind getting on that?"

"Sure," and the doctor hurriedly knelt by her side.

"What the hell just happened?" Ruby asked.

Alex turned back to face the unconscious dragon girl, laying splayed out in the middle of the street, "I have no _FUCKING_ idea."

Back in Fox's house, Alex, Necrodusk, and Terrias knelt by the kitchen table, where the still-unconscious Ember lay. In the living room, Fox tended to Azazel's wounds, the goat boy driven silent and pale with fear. The rest of Alpha Company stayed in there with him, Zinnia and Akumi trying to calm the terrified boy. "What happened?" Alex asked, "I know that mutation can trigger a violent, almost feral, reaction in some people—usually those more prone to violence anyway—but I've _never_ , in all the years I've done this, seen _anything_ on _that_ scale!"

"You said she called herself the Adjudicator?" Necrodusk asked, leaning against the counter, arms crossed at his chest.

"Yes...you know what that means?"

"The Adjudicators were an ancient race of beings, a _fourth_ faction, as you could say, outside of Base World natives, Omniversals, and Multiversals. They were tasked with defending the order of nature and maintaining the existence of the capstone universe with specific attention to the _Inner Dimension_. It was thought that the Multiversals wiped them out of existence long ago...I never realized _Ophelia_ was one of them."

"So why would they have a thing against Zaz? And why wouldn't she bring this up before?"

"It's possible that the Adjudicator in her was a subconscious part of her brain, triggered—unknown to her—under certain circumstances."

"Still, why would she have it out for Zaz?"

"And Piermont," Spyro said, suddenly entering the room, "I remember Piermont kept bitching and moaning that the 'Adjudicator' was tormenting him in his sleep."

"Adjudicators were dreamwalkers, yes..." then, "As for why she would want to kill the hybrid, it's possible that he inherited the powers of his father. Lifehunt was a multiversally recognized threat after Deitus' betrayal."

"He would never use it to harm anyone, and I doubt it's that powerful."

"See, that's where you're wrong. Azazel is a well of untapped power, his strength is so deep that even _he_ doesn't know what he's fully capable of."

"You mean he's _more_ powerful than Deitus?"

"He's more powerful than the Father and the Angelic hierarchy combined," Necrodusk growled, "That's how dangerous he is. Let's just hope he never discovers this power and succumbs to it."

"How?"

Necrodusk shrugged, "Deitus was known to seek out the genetic benefits of the women he chose to bed. It's possible he _intended_ to produce a being more powerful than himself to be his heir when his _own_ power finally failed him, which it would, in time. Azazel's power must be felt strongly enough to warrant the birth of an Adjudicator. Even _Deitus_ , as powerful as he was, isn't strong enough to to attract one."

"What about Vergil?"

Necrodusk shook his head.

"Jesus Christ..."

"It's humorous that this Adjudicator the Greater Multiverse produced to protect itself happens to embody the soul of Dearest Ophelia."

"That wasn't on purpose?"

"Not likely, no. Quite a coincidence, more likely."

"What's this 'Greater Multiverse' nonsense," Spyro asked.

"The Greater Multiverse refers to the Omniverse, the Base World, the _Inner Dimension_ , and all other lesser multiverses in between."

"Okay, back to my previous question," Spyro continued, "Why would she taunt Piermont?"

"Because Piermont, in his unhinged state, was dangerously unpredictable. The fact he threatened the reincarnation of Deitus means that the Angelic hierarchy may have tweaked with her Adjudicator programming to have her target him as well."

"Yet keep her targeting Azazel?" Alex growled.

"As I said when you strong-armed Gabriel to resurrect Azazel, the Angels don't take kindly to letting demons roam the earth, even if they pose no threat to anyone...especially a demon as powerful as little Azazel."

"For fuck's sake."

"I told you they would try to find a way around your request, you can't beat an angel—or their fallen brethren, the demons—in making deals, they will _always_ find a way to gain the advantage once again, even if it's not immediately apparent."

"If the Adjudicators are more powerful than God and the Angels, how can they reprogram one to attack new targets?"

"I refer you to my last statement. They are masters of trickery and manipulation...more than any other being known to the Greater Multiverse...even Adjudicators. Technically speaking, even Multiversals and _Omniversals_ can be more powerful than Angels, on a level matching that of the Father, if not exceeding."

"I think the _better_ question would be why the Angels didn't reprogram her to go after Vergil or Deitus."

"Who's not to say they didn't?" Spyro asked.

"They didn't," Necrodusk replied.

"How do you know?"

"Because when I scoured her mind shortly after you brought her here, I found the subconscious commands that had been programmed into her. She's an Adjudicator, yes, just not a typical one...she's an...artificial one, if you will."

"Artificial?"

"Yes...likely either her soul or this particular incarnation was engineered by the Angelic hierarchy to serve as an Adjudicator, she's not a naturally born one...like I said, they went extinct long ago."

"Okay..." Alex began, "So why in the hell didn't they program her to attack Deitus and Vergil or maybe that damn _Alpha Breaker_? Or are they _purposely_ trying to spite me?"

"Perhaps they _wanted_ Deitus, Vergil, and the Alpha Breaker to return," Necrodusk replied, "That's the only explanation I can discern."

"Why!? The _Old Regime_ ain't ready for this!"

"No, but you've spited the Angelic hierarchy and waved your control over them so many times that they're probably, actively trying to find a loophole around you, so that they can reach their endgame without going through _you_."

"Fucking hell."

"I told you, Alex. Angering the Angelic hierarchy and having your way with them would only come back to bite you in the end."

"Yes, yes, I know. Thanks for the fucking reminder..." and Alex slid down the counter to a sitting position on the floor, resting his head in the palm of his head and massaging his temples, "God _fucking_ damn it."

"I'm sure you don't want to be ordering God to do anything else," Necrodusk replied, "Quite frankly, I'm surprised the weight of your sins hasn't already broken you."

"You're not helping."

"Fine...but you may want to tread carefully from now on. I'm sure they're going very impatient with you."

"They can suck me..." then, "So, how do we restore _Bloodreaver_?"

Necrodusk frowned, "Yes...about that..." then, "We may want to take her outside for this."

Once they had managed to life Ember's unconscious form and carry her outside into the morning sunlight, resting her on the front yard, Necrodusk called to Fox, "Doctor, do you mind if we soil this bed covering?"

Fox shrugged, leaning against the side of the house, his arms crossed at his chest, "It's not mine, so I don't care _what_ you do with it...I just found it laying around."

"Very well," Necrodusk replied, crouching beside Ember and placing a pale hand on her chest. With a groan, her ice-blue eyes slowly opened, and she blinked against the sunlight.

"Wh...what's going on? Where am I?"

"Everything will be okay," Necrodusk replied in a deeper, surprisingly calm voice, a tone that, much to Alex's surprise, even calmed _him_. Glancing around at the others, it seemed it had a similar, almost anesthetic effect on _them_ as well. Vaguely, he wondered if that was the tone of voice that Messorem was known to use on those whose souls he was about to reap and carry back to the Vault, "Close your eyes," he said, his hypnotic voice dazing Ember's eyes, and the dragon-girl did as she was ordered without protest, "Let the light seep into you, let it settle into your cold and aching bones, let it warm your flesh and numb all your pain. Let it melt your sorrows and ease your suffering. Now, rest. Breathe deeply, and let the warmth consume you..." once he had said this, he gently rose, turning to face Alex and regaining his normal tone, that hypnotic monotone, soothing and relaxing, disappearing, "Alex, you must do this yourself. _Bloodreaver's_ call is too strong in the state it's in now...if I do it when it's restored to its full strength, I fear that it will consume me."

"Do what? What am I supposed to do."

"You must sacrifice her, thrust the blade into her heart...the spell I placed over her has put her into so deep a slumber that she won't feel the pain."

"No! I'm not going to do that! I refuse!"

"It's the only way to restore _Bloodreaver_ to its true form."

"There _must_ be another way!"

"There _is_ no other way..." Necrodusk replied, voice choking up, and he looked sadly towards the sleeping dragon-girl, "Trust me, if there was, I would tell you."

"There _has_ to be."

"There isn't," Necrodusk frowned, "It must bathe in her heart's blood in order to be restored to its full power."

"Can't I just cut her a bit or pour some of her blood into a bowl or something?"

"The enchantment placed upon _Bloodreaver_ and _Soulreaper_ by Ophelia with her dying breath was specific in the ritual necessary to restore them, should either shatter. _Soulreaper_ was later enchanted one of Ophelia's earlier reincarnations so as to repair itself with each soul it absorbs...but since _Bloodreaver_ has been lost to time for eons, the same wasn't done for it. Even if it were, _Bloodreaver_ is far too powerful for such an enchantment, that blade can end entire universes with a single slash, in the right hands, and with the right knowledge of its potential...another reason why I can't do it myself. If I finish the ritual, I may very well destroy the Greater Multiverse with the extent of my knowledge of the blade. Its power and proficiency increases with the amount of knowledge the user has of it and its abilities. You must do it, and you must do it now. The spell I placed over her won't last forever, if you don't do it and she wakes up, I don't know when I'll be able to do it again."

"What _did_ you do?" Spyro asked.

"It is an ancient spell, used by Messorem and all Reapers that followed, to soothe the souls of the dead before he harvested them from their bodies...it helps to ease the passage to death, so that there is no pain when the body is forcefully separated from its soul. Now quickly, Alex, finish the ritual."

"I won't do it," Alex replied, "We'll find another way to kill the Alpha Breaker."

"There _IS_ no other way!" Necrodusk roared, his normally calm and cool voice taking on a terrifying, multi-layered reverberation that echoed through the air and scattered the birds around them. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before saying, once more calm, "There _is_ no other way. Only the combined power of _Bloodreaver_ and _Soulreaper_ can slay the Alpha Breaker. To restore _Bloodreaver_ , Ophelia _must_ be sacrificed."

"First of all, her name is _Ember_ , not _Ophelia_ ," Alex growled, "Second of all, she's my _friend_ , and I'm not going to kill her after going through all the trouble to save her just to restore some artifact of the damned!"

"So you would sacrifice the whole world, to spare one life?" Necrodusk said.

"Yes!"

The demon sighed, "Once upon a time, I was in your place..." he nodded, "It was _I_ who had the morbid responsibility to take Ophelia's life during the initial forging of the swords. Like you, I hesitated, I was afraid, I let my emotions cloud my judgment...but I knew it had to be done, and _she_ knew it had to be done. She was near death, mortally injured in combat, she assured me it was okay, that I had to do what I had to do. That responsibility now falls upon you."

"She didn't consent to this!"

"Would it be any easier for you if she did?"

"Maybe!" Alex spat.

Necrodusk sighed, "Very well then...but I warn you, _Bloodreaver_ is savage in its thirst for blood. No other blade—or any other _death_ for that matter—can match the pain that _Bloodreaver_ deals when it punctures your flesh."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Alex...are you willing to put _her_ through that?" Cynder asked, "It's not fair to her."

" _None_ of this is fair to _her_!"

"Once I take her out of her rest...I won't be able to put her back into it..." Necrodusk said, crouching by her side, "Are you _sure_ you want me to do this?"

"Break the spell."

"Alex!" Cynder gasped.

"I need to make sure it's okay with her first."

The dragoness only shook her head, running back inside, unable to watch the events about to unfold. Before too long, the rest of Alpha Company joined her, and Alex found himself standing alone, with only Terrias, Spyro, Necrodusk, and Fox. With a sigh, Necrodusk whispered, "Forgive me, Ophelia...I tried to make this easy for you..." before he placed the first two fingers of his left hand against Ember's forehead. Instantly, the dragon-girl's eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath. With another sigh, Necrodusk stood upright again, turning and walking away, heading inside the house, "Come get me when the deed is done."

"You're not going to stay out here?" Alex called.

"I had to watch her succumb to _Bloodreaver_ 's hunger once already..." Necrodusk replied, appearing on the verge of tears, before violently shaking his head, "I'm not about to put myself through that again. I can't."

"What's going on?" Ember exclaimed, on the verge of panic.

Immediately, Alex crouched by her side, calming her, "Listen, listen...I have something to ask of you."

"What?"

"In order to stop the Alpha Breaker, I need to fix this..." the Commander held up the hilt, "But to do that...I need to kill you with it."

Ember's face paled, and tears came to her eyes, "Wh-Why? Why would you do that to me? Why would you _ask_ something like that of me!? I don't...!"

Alex hugged her tightly, struggling not to cry himself, "I know...I know, and I'm sorry...but I need to know if it'll be okay with you. Unless we restore this sword, we can't save the world, we can't stop the Alpha Breaker a-and the entire world is gonna die. I need to know if you're willing to make that sacrifice."

Now crying, not even trying to hide it, Ember looked away, "I...is there really no other way?"

"There isn't," Terrias replied, sounding as tired and defeated as Alex felt.

"Are you sure?"

The servine nodded, "Yes."

Sniffling, Ember reluctantly shook her head, "If...if that's the only way then...then do it."

Here, Spyro seemed to have had enough, and both Alex and Terrias watched as the purple dragon, struggling to maintain his own emotions, disappeared inside the house, slamming the door shut behind him. Alex stared at the door for several minutes before craning his neck back to Terrias, who was hiding his own face from view. In a cold, calloused voice, Alex said, "You going to leave me, too?"

The servine only shook his head in response, and Alex turned towards the dragon-girl again, hesitantly unwrapping _Bloodreaver_ 's hilt from the cloth and grasping the cold blade in his hand, clutching it tightly in his fist. Upon seeing the pointed end, Ember gasped briefly, but she breathed deeply, "Please...try to make it swift."

"I will..." Alex replied, unwilling to say much more out of fear of betraying his emotions. As he placed the tip of the blade against the center of Ember's sternum, the she-dragon screamed in agony as smoke rose from the point of contact and the flesh sizzled beneath it. Immediately, Alex pulled the blade away, staring in absolute horror at the blade in his hand. He was vaguely aware of an alien presence poking around in his mind, feeling like slick, alien tentacles, or worms slithering through his brain caressing it...was the sword _sentient_!?

 _Do it..._ it taunted, _Let me taste this virgin's blood, let me bathe in her entrails, so that my power can be reborn!_

Wide-eyed, Alex abruptly opened the blade, backpedaling in horror as it clattered to the ground, that haunting, ghostly, crooning, almost feminine whisper vanishing as soon as his contact with the blade had ceased. Surely the blade was possessed, and the spirit was _female_? He then recalled what Necrodusk had mentioned about the irresistible 'siren's song' the blade sang to him, and the supernatural strength and powers possessed by the Archreaper's Legion, especially Ezekiel, who _wielded_ the blade. _Bloodreaver_ was a weapon of pure, unfiltered evil, more so than even Lucifer and his army of demons was capable of, more than Vergil, Deitus, or anything was capable of producing. It was a relic of pure darkness, a relic of pure evil, and the thought of having the weapon fully restored and treading the earth _horrified_ him.

"It's okay! It's okay..." Ember choked, breathing heavily, "I'll be okay..." she chuckled sadly, "Do it...do it..."

Biting his lip to keep from crying, as he prepared to raise the sword above his head, Necrodusk soon rushed out, "Wait! Hold on! I have an idea!"

Alex's eyes instantly snapped up to face the demon, and he sighed with relief, dropping the blade and collapsing by Ember's side, both sweating profusely.

"You still need to kill her..." Necrodusk replied, voice trailing, "But I think there's a way we can bring her back."

"How!?"

Necrodusk waved over to him, and Nick ran out of the house, hand wrapped around _Soulreaper_ 's hilt—still sheathed at his waist. The Power Keeper himself wore a silly grin, and in a cheery voice, exclaimed, "Hey! I'm helping!"

"What's this about, Necro?" Alex asked.

"If the Power Keeper stabs Ophelia with _Soulreaper first—_ and don't worry, she won't feel it, it won't hurt her, he can _trap_ her soul to earth, so that when Asrael comes down here, we can speak with him. If you can distract him, we can then stab whatever mortal form Asrael decides to present to us with _Soulreaper—_ and I know him, he will—that will pin _him_ to earth, and we can make a deal...his freedom for Ophelia's life."

"Who's Asrael?" Terrias asked.

"The reaper that succeeded Messorem..." Necrodusk replied, "He's young, arrogant...one of the _newer_ angels, and he's short-tempered...but if you can catch him in a snare, he may be will be willing to negotiate. He'll do _anything_ to avoid letting the other angels know that he's been outsmarted. We may be able to use this to our advantage."

With a nod, Alex replied, "Do it," and wearing a wide grin, Nick raised _Soulreaper's_ glimmering, crystalline blade above his head, thrusting it through Ember's torso and deep into the earth. No blood was spilled, there didn't even seem to be any _actual_ , physical penetration, instead, the blade seemed to simply go _through_ her. "Are you okay?" Alex asked, kneeling beside her, "Do you feel anything?"

She shook her head, "Feels a little weird, it...doesn't hurt or anything."

"As I said, _Soulreaper_ won't hurt her, it can't. It was designed to kill mortal souls, not immortal."

"Won't _Bloodreaver_ ravage her soul though?" Alex asked, "I thought it obliterated mortal souls?"

"Normally, yes...but not for its first feeding," and Necrodusk turned, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be inside, let me know when the deed is done, and we'll continue with the next stage of our plan."

Once Necrodusk had returned inside, and now with Nick joining Alex and Terrias on the lawn, Alex once more knelt beside Ember, wiping away a tear with his thumb, "Are you ready?" he asked with a sad smile.

She nodded vigorously, "Just...get it over with, please."

With a sober nod, Alex hesitantly reached for _Bloodreaver_ , hand trembling above the blade, terrified when he noticed a steep temperature drop in the air around it. Even the _air_ immediately surrounding the blade was effected by its icy coldness. With a deep sigh, Alex grabbed the hilt, ignoring the blade's voice poking around in his mind before, he wrapped one arm around Ember's head, holding her up and kneeling his head close to hers. They smiled towards each other, and he closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to hers as he thrust the blade deep into her heart. She screamed in agony, a shriek so saturated with pain and suffering that the Commander hoped to never hear another one like it again. Never before had he heard so much negative emotion poured into one sound, and that, coupled with the greedy excitement of the thirsty _Bloodreaver_ , drilled into his mind, adding another scar to his traumatic memories, something he would probably have nightmares about for the rest of his life. An odd sound came to mind, like millions of maggots squirming around in an empty bin, the sound and image was so vivid that he could _actually_ hear it, he could see it when he closed his eyes, and he realized that this was the sound of _Bloodreaver_ repairing itself after years of erosion. As _Bloodreaver_ grew stronger and Ember's screams fell silent, _Bloodreaver_ 's soothing song grew stronger in his mind, seducing him, and he found himself becoming more and more susceptible to the damned blade's seduction, claiming that together, they could take on the world together. His eyes snapped open, the whites in his bloodshot eyes now coal black, the arteries well-pronounced and glowing, as if they were veins of magma. His blue irises were now a bright, brilliant red, and he saw through the world in a haze of blood, fire, and gore...he was looking into the very depths of Hell— _true_ Hell, not the Devil's Arena of Purgatory—itself.

Visions of all the horrific, cataclysmic events that _Bloodreaver_ had committed flashed before his eyes, and he realized the sword, _yang_ to its twin, _Soulreaper_ 's _, yin_ , existed outside of time and space...they traveled across universes, they were present for any and every world-ending event in the Greater Multiverse. He glanced down at Ember's body, and in between flashes of ancient memories of the many conquests that _Bloodreaver_ proudly boasted of, he could see the blood and gore bubbling and swirling around the penetration wound in Ember's stomach, her organs liquefied and swimming in chunks around the sword, as if it created some kind of vortex. The wound grew larger and larger as more and more of her skin melted and peeled away, joining the rotating swirl of blood and liquefied gore, and while the blade crooned and sang its thanks in his ears, as if a beautiful woman whispered tender sweet-nothings over his shoulder, he slowly stood upright, attempting to pull _Bloodreaver_ from its organic sheathe, finding incredible difficulty in doing so, as if the sword was encased in solidified concrete. Finally, he managed to pull it out, but it made a sickening, squelching sound, and as he pulled the blade free, he watched with an empty expression as the blood and liquefied chunks of gore were sucked between the blade's four hand guards—situated like the four points of a compass. The organic matter swirled and churned around the tiny blade, which still remained as clean and grime-free as ever, and once he finally pulled the blade free of Ember's completely drained shell of a body—where even her organs were no longer present, only a skeleton completely dry, with her skin still freshly spread over it all, he extended his arm and held it forward. His eyes returned to their normal color, and he watched in horror as the chunky soup of blood and gore swirled and churned around the sharpened rod set inside the hilt, extending out four feet into the rough shape of a blade. It was then that he realized that _Bloodreaver_ 's true blade was made _entirely_ out of the organic material collected from the girl he had just sacrificed. Despite nothing keeping it in place, the gore remained fixated in the swirling shape extending out from the sharpened point, and no matter how hard he slashed the air, nothing flung out and the swirling soup retained its shape.

Although he was disgusted by its appearance, and nearly brought to the point of vomiting by the continuous, squelching, slurping sound that radiated from the restored sword, he was also fascinated by the movements of the organic matter, almost like a mystical fire, or the lava lamp he had back in his room in New Alexandria. Beneath the liquid noises that radiated from the blade, he could also hear what sounded like faint, feminine whispering, as if Ember's very _essence_ , her very _soul_ ,was captured in the blade. He noticed, too, that the golden hilt was no longer tarnished, and the bitter chill surrounding it was even colder. Even _clutching_ the blade, it felt he had thrust his bare hand into a pile of freshly-fallen snow or ice water. "Resist its call, its siren song," Necrodusk began, slowly and cautiously, gently approaching the Alex and going to great lengths to avoid looking at Ember's corpse, "What you are wielding is more powerful than any device made by God or man is even _capable_ of. In the wrong hands, you can destroy entire _universes_ with one slight flick of the wrist.

Nearing the verge of a panic attack, Alex's hands trembled and he nearly dropped the sword.

" _DON'T_ touch its blade!" Necrodusk warned, "Or the _same_ thing that happened to _her_ will happen to you. For every life _Bloodreaver_ takes, it adds to its own power. Do not let it touch the ground either, _ever_...not unless there's something between it. I've brought entire worlds to their end by simply thrusting the blade into the earth." Cautiously, Necrodusk held out an eerie sheathe, as black as night and adorned with gilded runes and varying gems.

"What is that?"

"It's a sheathe specially designed to contain _Bloodreaver_ 's power. Once it's bound to a wielder's soul—in this case yours—nobody else can draw it, and I suggest you _never_ draw it unless you have to. If its drawn and as soon as a new hand touches its hilt, it can bind itself to a new soul, should it choose." Once Alex slid the disgusting sword into its sheathe, that horrific whispering and slithering ceased, and the subtle, barely noticeable singing of _Bloodreaver_ in his head vanished. Following this, Necrodusk sighed in relief, handing the sheathed sword to the Commander, who took it and latched it to his belt, "That sheathe also lulls it to sleep, silencing it...thankfully."

"So...it's _alive_?"

"Indeed...so is _Soulreaper_. _Bloodreaver_ is just...more willing to flaunt it about."

"You said you took out entire worlds with it..."

Necrodusk nodded, beckoning for Alex to close his eyes, and as he did, the demon placed a cold hand against the Commander's forehead...

 _...Alex gasps for breath, finding himself in a pulsating, red-and-orange-tinted vision. He anxiously glances around, terrified and wondering how he got here. He's in a forest, a dark forest in the middle of the night, even though the red, pulsating filter over the scene before him, as if he's looking through a roaring fire, should be bright enough to illuminate his surroundings. He stumbles forward, following a creek into a large, open clearing, and he falls back in surprise as he see three white orbs arcing over the sky. One breaks away from the rest, crashing right in front of them, and he stares, wide-eyed, in surprise as a towering knight standing before him...a form he recognizes as Necrodusk. With a slick, liquid sound, Necrodusk draws_ Bloodreaver _from the sheathe, and the Commander watches as the knight raises it above his head and thrusts it deep into the ground. Immediately, the world quakes around him, the ground cracks beneath him, hot steam pours from the glowing cracks, spreading out from the point of penetration, and with the loud of rear of some unseen behemoth, Alex blinks to see everything around him engulfed in fire. The forest around him has been turned to stone, it seems_ everything _has been turned to stone where it stood, nothing is living. In the nighttime skies above, he watches as the stars fall towards the ground, betraying all he knows of astronomy and physics. The moon, too, grows larger and larger, and he realizes that_ it _is falling from the sky a well. Suddenly, he's being pulled away from the ground, he's being sucked up into the air and taken into a planetary view, in orbit above this alternate earth. In astonishment, he watches as those cracks completely cover the earth's surface—now completely turned to stone, the oceans having dried up completely. He's pulled even_ further _away from the land, through the universe and into the_ Inner Dimension _, where he watches as the universe he had just seen—appearing like one of the falling stars he had seen from the planet's surface—falls from the luminescent fog of the Omniverse above towards the lumiscent fog of the Base World below. And he blinks..._

...Doubling over, out of breath, as he gasped for breath, startled by what he had just seen. He quickly stumbled to his feet, glaring at Necrodusk, who stood over him, "As I said," the demon began, "I've ended entire _universes_ with one thrust of that blade."

"Something of that power should be able to kill _anything_ right? Even something like Vergil?"

"No, _Bloodreaver_ won't even scratch Vergil...it'll do about as much damage as _Soulreaper_ did to your friend, and he'll feel it about the same as well. Only _Soulreaper_ is capable of killing a multiversal, as far as I'm concerned, unless having his soul interwoven with a Shard of Manus changes something."

"Should make it even _easier_ ," Nick replied with a cheeky grin.

"Right..." and they fell silent, Alex turning to face Ember's corpse.

"So..." the Commander began after several minutes had passed, "What are we waiting for?"

"Just wait..." Necrodusk replied, "Give it time."

Almost as soon as the demon said this, a low rumble shook through the earth, and they heard a deep, furious growl, radiating from the bowels of the earth itself.

"He's here," Necrodusk replied, "Get ready."

Suddenly, the street ahead of them buckled several yards into the air before falling inward, and a massive hand, the size of a car and made of tree roots, clawed out of the abyss. A second arm soon joined in, and the Commander fell back, watching as a towering earthen beast, the size of a three-story house, rose out of the ground, standing to its full height. The loose soil and rock fell away from the bipedal, humanoid creature, soon leaving only roots and long-buried skeletons of different composing the human-like form. "Asrael," Necrodusk replied with a chuckle, "Welcome to our humble plain of existence."

"What have you done to this corpse!?" the beast spoke in a deep, threatening, and earthen voice, "Explain yourselves at once!"

Standing tall and firm, Alex said, "Asrael, I've come to bargain."

The amalgamation scowled, "Petty little mortal! There is _NOTHING_ that you offer that I am willing to trade!"

"Oh, I think you'll like my terms..." and Nick quickly tiptoed towards Ember, struggling for a few seconds to remove, much to the exasperation of the duo confronting the furious archangel. Finally managing to tear the blade free, and with a victorious cry of excitement, he sprinted towards Asrael—whose back was to him—tripping over an exposed root before picking himself up, finally reaching the beast and thrusting _Soulreaper_ into its ankle. Instantly, Asrael's avatar loosed a pained growl, and he collapsed to the ground, casually flicking Nick aside and attempting to tear the blade free, finding no success.

"How _DARE_ you threaten _ME!_ " Asrael bellowed, loud enough that the observers—now the whole town sitting on their lawns—had to cover their ears, "Release me at once from this snare or I will kill you all!"

"I don't think the hierarchy will be very happy about that," Necrodusk chuckled, "You see, you're talking to the reincarnations of the _Old Regime_ , y'know, the guys who's job you took, and the guys that they seem to have the strangest erection for? You listen and agree to our terms, we'll release you and let you go about your merry way...and the angels will never have to know what happened here."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I guess we have a new, thirty-foot-tall best friend," Terrias replied smugly.

"Here's the deal," Necrodusk began, "You return Ophelia's soul to her body, and restore her to full health with no little quirks, and we'll release you."

"I don't have to negotiate with you infantile creatures!" Asrael roared, "You can answer to Michael!"

Alex's eyes snapped towards Necrodusk, who's expression changed from one of arrogant victory, to worry and slight fear. Soon after, a crack of thunder split the air, and a bolt of lightning split the sky. Clouds seemed to materialize from out of nowhere, swirling around a glowing center, and a blinding white light fell over the world, painful in its intensity, and sending everyone to the ground, struggling to cover their eyes. Shortly after this, a high-pitched, shrill of a sound, almost identical to tinnitus, filled the air, and even while covering their ears, nobody could muffle the sound, so loud and shrill that, to Alex, it felt as if his head was going to explode. For several seconds this continued, an event that felt like hours to the citizens doubled over on the ground, attempting to protect themselves from it before the metallic screech faded into oblivion, followed soon by the light. Before too long, the clouds faded away and the day returned to normal. Alex gasped for breath, rolling onto his back and clutching his ears, still hearing the damned ringing in his ears. All around him, his comrades and the onlookers were in similar positions of vulnerability, only Necrodusk and Asrael seemed unaffected. When at last his hearing returned, he heard Asrael begrudgingly say, "Very well, I'll do what you ask."

"Good," Necrodusk replied, "And if you or anyone else up there decide to find a way to squirm out of this deal, I will take _Bloodreaver_ and cut down Alex and _all_ of his friends...that's a promise, one that I _dare_ you to test. You know my history, Asrael, you _know_ what I'm capable of, and I will have _no_ qualms fulfilling that promise."

"You will _pay_ for this, demon! You will _pay_ for testing my patience and threatening an angel of God!"

Necrodusk shrugged, unaffected by the threat, "Put it on my tab. With another, furious growl, Asrael stabbed one hand into the ground and roots soon broke out of the ground around Ember's body, slithering around her until she was completely wrapped within them. For several seconds, they continued slithering around her body, before finally retreating back into the ground. Ember's eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath, rolling onto her knees and coughing, no sign of the gaping hole in her torso remaining.

"There, I kept my end of the bargain, now keep yours, demon!"

"Very well," Necrodusk replied, whistling a cheery tune and casually approaching Asrael, pulling the sword free from his ankle and twirling it in the palm of the demon's hand. Almost immediately after, the earthen golem collapsed into pieces, most of them rolling back into the hole from which they had emerged. While Necrodusk casually kicked a nearby skull back into the hole, twirling the blade again before thrusting it into the ground before the doubled-over Nick, he said, approaching Alex once again, "You know, you _really_ like to piss off the angelic hierarchy, don't you?"

Alex scowled, "It was _your_ idea!"

He shrugged, "True, true...I thought it went quite well, how about you?"

"Will you seriously kill me if the angels back down on their deal?"

Necrodusk glared at the Commander, wearing a homicidal grin, "Of course, I _always_ keep my promises, you know that."

" _Why_!?"

"Because I need leverage, and the angels will do _anything_ to make sure they don't lose you. They _know_ I'll keep my promise, so they'll be _extra_ sure not to tag any little...quirks to the deal they made, to ensure I don't follow through on that promise."

"I thought _demons_ were the ones who liked to add quirks to their deals."

"Where do you think they learned it? Better yet, have you forgotten who demons _were_ once upon a time?"

With a grunt, Alex replied, "Good point."

As Necrodusk disappeared inside of the house, Alex scrambled to his feet, running over to where Ember lay on the ground, still recovering from her sudden revival, "Hey," he asked, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "Are you okay?"

"What happened?" she asked,

"We got what we set out to get, and everything went well to bring you back here."

"You restored _Bloodreaver_?"

Alex gently wrapped a hand around _Bloodreaver_ 's hilt, now at room temperature, before he slowly withdrew it from its sheathe with that nauseatingly sick slurp. Almost as soon as he had withdrawn the blade, it began eating at his mind once again and the temperature of the hilt instantly dropped to a bitter, painful cold. Ember backed away, eyes wide with fear as she watched the swirling mass of organic matter, and she covered her ears at the sound of the squelching and squirting accompanying the underlying, ghastly taunting and whispering. "Put it away!" she screamed, "Put it away!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he did just that, "Trust me, I like this thing as much as you do...but I need it, unfortunately..." and he adjusted the sheath's position so that he could draw the damned blade with his bionic arm, where the unsettling and painful cold would be unfelt.

"I'm not even going to ask what it did to my body..."

"Good idea, I don't think you want to know...just be glad its over. Hope it didn't hurt _too_ much."

She shook her head, "It was the worst feeling I've ever experienced..."

"Well, it's over now," he clapped her shoulder, "Don't worry," then he asked, "So, you gonna stay with us this time, since I just, y'know, _saved_ your ass?"

She shrugged, "I...I need some time to think about it."

"For fuck's sake, seriously? After I saved your ass from the Archreaper's Legion _and_ brought you back from the dead? Or are you still afraid I'll find out you are the Oracle that the Legion _answered_ to."

She stiffened.

"Yeah, that Ezekiel guy liked bragging about it."

"That's not the reason why I didn't want to stay with you."

"Then what _was_ the reason?"

"Maybe I'll tell you someday...but not today. Today, I just want to rest, if that's okay, I haven't slept well in a long, _long_ time...and in a warm bed, in the company of friends..."

"Sure," Alex replied, "My house is just down the street over there, my bed's nice and soft, blankets are pretty warm, too. Make yourself comfortable."

She nodded, "Thank you, Alex..." and she impulsively hugged him, "You've been kind to me, and for that, I'm grateful."

"Really hope you decide to join the team...we can keep you safe."

"It's not my safety I'm worried about," she sighed, "Anyway, I'll be there if you need anything."

"I'll come get you."

She nodded, and they smiled towards each other before she walked away, skirting the large crater in the road, which the townsfolk were now surrounding and gazing down into, trying to figure out what had just happened.


	43. Chapter XLII: Trust

_**Chapter XLII**_ **:**

 **-''Trust''-**

 **-Altessa, Rune-**

 **- _09 March 2017_ -**

 **- _0018 Hours_ -**

Alex sat on the front porch of his house, drunk on mead and smoking in solitude. His hands trembled terribly now, and he was barely able to summon a flame, let alone support it long enough to ignite his cigarette. _Bloodreaver_ rested across the deck, leaning against the rail, and although it was sheathed, he could still hear its voice pestering him, eating away at the furthest reaches of his mind, and only a strong, home-rolled cigarette was capable of silencing it. He had talked to Fox about it, and the doctor suggested that it could be something as simple as stress, or it could be a sign of something more serious, such as ALS, but that due to the lack of proper medical technology here in the Gothics, it was impossible to know for certain.

"You didn't have to do it..." Ember spoke from behind him, causing the paranoid, drunken Commander to jump out of his seat. Once he identified the voice, he cautiously regained his seat and Ember pulled up a chair, sitting down beside him and staring ahead into the distance, lost in thought.

"Do what?"

"Save my life."

"Yeah, well...you saved mine...it was the least I could do."

"I'm sorry I had to put you through all that with the Legion."

"Why didn't you tell me? You _knew_ how badly we needed _Bloodreaver_."

She frowned, shamefully looking towards the ground, "I don't like to think of the mission that my species has tasked itself with for generations."

"Man," Alex growled, "I don't even know who the hell you are. You just...appeared out of nowhere one day and claimed to be one of the good guys but I...I don't know anything _about_ you. A-And whenever we ask you something, you just dodge all of our questions! I want answers."

"I suppose I owe you that much, don't I."

"Well, that sure as hell would be nice."

Silence for a few minutes before, "It ties into the same reason...why I've turned down your offer to join you, every time you've asked me."

"If you're not going to explain anything, I ain't in the mood to talk. We have an important meeting planned tomorrow, and I need to get to bed," he stood up, extinguishing his cigarette and preparing to head back inside before.

"Alex, wait!" he turned to face her, pleading for him with her eyes, "Please?"

With an exasperated sigh, he reclaimed his seat, responding, "What?"

Silence for several more seconds before, "I'm an Axalian Dragon...the last of my species. I was the Lorekeeper...assigned to the job at birth because of my family's heritage. Families hold the same career throughout the generations...my family wasn't necessarily of noble birth...but we were, what you could call, elite. The Lorekeepers were responsible for protecting and archiving the storied history of our species, Messoremel's biography, and the Archreaper's Legion...especially after Messoremel's name and valor were struck from all religious texts following Vitamel's betrayal. It's a boring job, but important, my father and mother would all day, every day, pouring over musty tomes, copying them in silence. We lived in dens and tunnels carved into mountains...like ants almost. The Archives were a massive, hollow cavern, illuminated solely by candlelight. Towering bookcases and piles of tomes everywhere you look, nobody was allowed in except for the Lorekeepers, and we were forced to take lifetime oaths of chastity—allowed to mate once per year, and solely during the heat season so that we could breed new generations of Lorekeepers. Females were mutilated so that they were unable to feel pleasure during mating...it was considered a cardinal sin. In addition to this, we were forced to live on water and vegetables, and were committed to take vows of silence, living our lives as listeners, not speakers. When we weren't reading, learning, and recording, we were meditating and praying...forbidden to leave the Archives and mingle with others. We were lucky if we were allowed to breathe fresh air, or even see the sun _once_ in our lifetimes.

"I was born into that job...but I couldn't take it. The silence and isolation were maddening; I _wanted_ adventure, I _wanted_ socialization...I _wanted_ love. I met a young dragon...he was a farmer, _the_ lowliest genetic line you could find in our society...but I loved him. My parents found out about our mutual attraction, and I was forbidden to see him. I would leave in the middle of the night anyway, sneaking out to visit...and then one day..." she shrugged, a faint blush rising to her cheeks, "One night, we were talking and...it was so beautiful outside and we...we..." she sniffled, "My parents found out...and they had him beheaded. They managed to pull some connections and save me from execution but...they wanted to have me rendered completely infertile through this...horrific, ritualistic surgery. The night it was scheduled, I ran away from home, into the forest. For a month, I lived in the wilderness, only returning home when I recovered from a near-fatal illness I had contracted that left me hallucinating, feverish, and crippled for three weeks. When I returned home, I found that my entire clan had been slaughtered, my home was in flames...and I stumbled upon a mortally wounded, young dragonling. She told me that these flying machines had attacked our village and mercilessly killed _everyone_...nobody stood a chance. She told me that we were the last clan of Axalian Dragons left, and we were now almost completely extinct...then she took her own life. I tried running for help, I contacted human villages nearby, but they perceived me as a threat and try to kill me. I finally found one friendship in an elderly man who lived deep in the foothills near Shadowfall, he wasn't _part_ of the Legion, but he sympathized with them. He took me in, nursed me back to health, cured me of the disease that I was _still_ afflicted with, and told me these glorious tales of a powerful, godly warrior who protected all who served him. He introduced me to the Legion, claimed that the fever-dreams I had experienced during my illness were a sign from Messoremel, and said that I was an oracle sent by the Archreaper to act as a median between the Legion and the fallen angel. For two years, I lived with him," she nodded sadly, "Until he passed away one night, in his sleep. The Legion believed my claims because I knew things about Messoremel that only _they_ did, due to my studies as a Lorekeeper, but I knew that many of the things they claimed—least of which being that Messoremel was an angel who had ascended to God—were inaccurate. I kept the ruse, since these were the only people that I had found companionship with, and I was lonely and pathetic...I needed a friend. When I returned after taking you back to Tamriel, they said that Ezekiel had denounced me as a fraud, that _Bloodreaver_ had spoken to him, telling him that I was no Oracle, and that I had placed the curse of the Beams upon them. They beat me, they tortured me...and the day you saved my life, was to be my execution."

"So why did you turn me away when I _offered_ companionship, when I _offered_ for you to join my family, choosing to stay with _those_ pricks instead?"

"Every time I care about someone, they're taken away from me," Ember replied, near tears, "First Thorn, then my parents, then Solomon...I didn't want that to happen to you, too."

"So you thought the best way to deal with that was to keep it a secret!?"

"I didn't want you to distrust me, _especially_ when you found out that the Legion revered Deitus."

"They _what_!?"

"They worshiped Messoremel as their god, but Deitus was revered as their protector, their defender...I knew the truth, and I knew that you did, too. I was afraid that if you found out I associated myself with them, that you would think I was an ally of Deitus and you would hate me, too."

"You should have told me."

"I know..." she replied with a nod, "And I know that the circumstances of this reveal are only making me look worse in your eyes. If you want me to leave, I'll be gone first thing tomorrow, you won't ever have to see me again."

"Well, unfortunately, we need you right now. Especially with your ties to Deitus and the Beams—and as such, Vergil—we can't have the luxury of throwing away people we don't like or trust, that's why we went back in time and grabbed the same fucking guy who tried to have me nuked five years ago."

"So I can stay?"

"Until we find a way to kill Vergil...then we'll renegotiate the terms of our contract," and with this, the Commander disappeared inside the house, leaving Ember sitting alone. The dragon-girl only turned her head to watch him leave before turning back to face the street, sighing and burying her head in her paws, wiping her eyes with a sniffle.

- **Northern Skyrim, Tamriel-**

 **- _09 March 2017_ -**

 **- _0657 Hours_ -**

Back at the abandoned shack where they had found Omniversal Alex's body, Synthia and the rest of her clan entered the small shack, now newly renovated and serving as the group's base of operations following their exile from Vernhelm.

"Okay, so… let's just go over this one more time," Omniversal Alex said, "We're gonna travel back to the day Cosmo died and stop that from happening… why, exactly? "

"Because, there really won't be a point to rescuing him from that hell he's trapped in if he has no one to come back to, right? He sacrificed himself, Alex. According to him, he has nothing and nobody else to live for, and that means rescuing him might prove to be a bit pointless unless we do something in advance. I don't know about you, but I'm really fucking sick of the whole Telltale model of making choices that are rendered pointless like, five minutes later. So now that I have the opportunity to change the narrative a little, I'm taking it." Synthia replied.

"Only, you're not gonna do it yourself. You're sending me and Faythe to do it."

"Hey, I'm just trying to give you a little bit of the spotlight here."

"What about us?" Robert asked, pointing to himself and Alexia.

"Be patient; you'll get your chance," Synthia responded, and the other two Omniversals only rolled their eyes in reply.

"Alright, fine," Faythe began, "When are we headed, again?"

"January 17th, 2013." Synthia answered, "Remember to give yourselves enough time to do something. And try not to get spotted."

With a nod, Faythe opened a portal, standing by the side until Alex entered before she slipped in shortly after, closing it behind them...

 **-New Alexandria, Montana-**

 **- _17 January 2013_ -**

 **- _1314 Hours_ -**

 _...They found themselves in an alley within the southern business district, and after briefly looking around to make sure nobody had seen them, hearing only a distant dog barking and police sirens even_ further _away, Faythe said, "Let's go find our alien plant girl."_

 _Upon emerging from the alley, glancing around both sides of the road and waiting patiently for a car to pass, seeing armed guards patrolling the sidewalks ahead, Alex asked, "Where do we start?"_

 _Faythe nodded ahead, holding out an arm to keep Omniversal Alex in place. Up ahead, stepping out of a restaurant, Tails and Cosmo chatted to each other, taking a walk towards Town Center. Appearing as casual as possible, the two Omniversals pursued the Terminators from a distance, stopping every once in awhile to peer into shop windows or greet passing guards. Eventually, Tails and Cosmo slipped into a jewelry store, and Alex and Faythetook a seat on a bench in the plaza, enjoying the scenery and waiting until the duo finally left the store, continuing north. After waiting a few minutes to build up some distance, the two Omniversals continued their stealthy pursuit. As they entered the residential district, Cosmo and Tails stopped on a street corner to chat for a few seconds before continuing on, slipping into an alley. Exchanging glances, Faythe and Omniversal Alex strolled into the alley after them. Upon emerging from the alley into a dead end with no apparent entrance or exit, two dark shadows emerged from beside them and before they realized it, both Tails and Cosmo were holding them at knifepoint, "Who the hell are you and why are you following us?" Tails hissed, pinning Alex against the brick wall of a building, a knife to his throat._

" _Explain yourself!" Cosmo demanded, voice firm, confronting Faythe._

" _You were a lot friendlier when you were missing a tail," Alex responded._

" _Timing, Alex. Learn it." Faythe said, facepalming._

" _What?" Tails asked, glancing back before intensifying the pressure on the Omniversal's neck._

" _Easy, Tails..." Cosmo replied, then, "Who are you guys, and why are you following us?"_

 _Alex teleported out of Tails' grip, before responding, "Most people think time is like a river—"_

" _Oh, for fuck's sake, Alex!" Faythe interrupted, smacking him over the head. She turned to Tails and Cosmo. "We're from the future. 2017, to be exact. A future where you're dead," she says, pointing to Cosmo, "And you're stuck in a time loop and have died well over a thousand times by now," she continued, pointing to Tails, "We're trying to change that future. Somewhat."_

" _What?" Tails replied, startled silent before snapping around to face him, "Not funny!"_

" _They're telling the truth..." Cosmo replied, now sitting against the wall, in tears and clutching the bows in her hair, "They're telling the truth..."_

 _Tails instantly ran to her side, crouching beside her and holding her, "What happened?"_

" _I touched her and I...I saw things..."_

" _Things? What things?"_

 _She shook her head, unable to finish speaking. Once she had calmed, Tails stood up again, approaching them, "What do you know?"_

" _Not a whole lot. Just the important things. An assassin gets hired to kill the High Command tonight. They find you two. You get shot and her neck gets sliced open with a poisoned blade. Our intention was to come back and save her and take her back with us. You weren't supposed to know," Alex responded._

" _In October of this year, your world starts merging with ours and you get paid a visit by our half-siblings from a giant hole in the sky," Faythe continued, "You do come up with a way to close it, but things don't quite go according to plan, and you, not having anyone to stick around for, end up volunteering to detonate some kind of bomb instead of Terrias. However, you don't die. You end up stuck in a twisted version of the world you came from and get repeatedly tortured to death by some super-edgy demon Sonic for a few years, though for you, it's just the same day over and over again."_

 _Both of them paled and Cosmo began to cry again. Tails tossed an arm around her, holding her close and looking back towards them, "What do we do?"_

" _Well, for starters, this never happened. You two go about whatever it was you were doing. Make the most of the time you have left; you won't be seeing each other for a while after today. When the time comes, we'll be there. Unfortunately for you, Tails, you can't get out of this one. If we brought you back with us, it would create a paradox. Instead, we're bringing Cosmo back and keeping her safe, and then we're coming for you. After that...I guess we'll see what happens," Alex replied._

 _Silence hanged between them for a few moments before they both nodded slowly, turning and walking away._

 _Standing at door to the elevator at the bottom of Club Camelot's rotunda, Cosmo and Tails were greeted by Faythe and Omniversal Alex, the former saying, "Hello, Tails, Cosmo."_

" _Thank God, you're here..." Tails breathed, sighing in relief, then, "So...what happens exactly? How do we stop Cosmo from..." he shrugged, unable to finish._

 _Without saying a word, Alex approaches Cosmo, taking off his medallion and briefly flashing it to the fox before touching it to Cosmo's head. Soon after, both the girl's head and the Omniversal's hand briefly glowed, and Alex turned to face Faythe, "Take Cosmo back with you, I'll catch up later."_

 _With a nod, Faythe created another portal and Cosmo ran to her lover, embracing him tightly, tears streaming down her face. They passionately kissed, and Tails said, "I love you, Cosmo."_

 _She smiled at him, "I love you, too..." and with a final hug and a kiss, they broke apart, Cosmo reluctantly passing through the portal before Faythe hopped in behind, sealing it behind them._

 _Tails breathed deeply, his breaths trembling and unsteady as he turned to face Alex again, "Okay...so what now?"_

" _Now, we keep going like this never happened," Alex replied, crouching towards the ground and placing his medallion upon the floor. Once more, it began to glow, the orange glow expanding until a large portal formed in the floor and a golden, transparent phantom of Cosmo rose from within. Once she had fully emerged, like a summon from Dark Souls, the glow receded back into the medallion and the phantom solidified, smiling warmly towards Tails. Alex then pulled the fox aside, whispering into his ear exactly what was about to happen to them before Tails and Phantom Cosmo were allowed to step into the elevator they had called, still patiently waiting for them. With a satisfied sigh, clapping and rubbing his hands together, Omniversal Alex rotated on his feet, summoning another portal and passing through it into present-day Skyrim once more_...

- **Altessa, Rune-**

 **-** _ **09 March 2017: Present Day**_ **-**

 **- _0954 Hours_ -**

Alex stepped out the front door and into his yard, adjusting his bear-fur cloak against a particularly cold morning. Cynder exited next, saying, "So, should I call a meeting with the others?"

The Commander nodded, "Yeah, let them know we have a plan...I'll be there shortly, I need to find Ember first."

"You sure we can trust her?" the dragoness asked, "If she's in bed with the Archreaper's Legion, she's dangerous...not taking that whole Adjudicator bullshit into account."

"Just...keep an eye on Zaz, okay? Set for a meeting at noon, I'll go try to find Ember. Oh, and can you do me one more _huge_ favor?"

She chuckled, "Only if you say please."

"We need to get Guardiana in if we hope to have enough troops to launch the operation."

"What about Tamriel?"

"Maybe if you can pay the other Jarls of Skyrim a visit, see if they'd be willing to loan some guards for our mission. I know the Stormcloaks will be _happy_ to join in, since they're going to want to do whatever they can to avenge Ulfric, and the Imperials didn't do this alone."

"Got it," she replied, and Alex cupped her chin, kissing her mouth as Ruby and Zinnia rushed out from the house, "Take care of yourself, Cyn...I would hate for something to happen to you, too," he finished, smiling sadly towards her and patting her soft, scaly neck.

"You, too..." she replied, kissing him back before taking wing.

Turning to the new arrivals, the Commander said, "I'm going to go find Ember, rest of you get Alpha together for an emergency meeting. Has anyone seen the Omniversals anywhere?"

Alex finally found Ember on Altessa's white, sandy beach, sitting on a boulder away from the rest of the townsfolk and staring off into the clear, blue sea, eyes squinted against the sunlight. " _There_ you are," he said, approaching her, "Hell you've been?"

"Why did you save me, Alex?" she frowned, still staring off into the ocean, "Considering you showed me just how much you cared about me last night. If I'm such a nuisance to you, what was the point in even _saving_ my life?" she shrugged, "To rope me into rescuing your occupied city?" and she turned her eyes towards the Commander.

"I saved you because I care about you," he replied, "And I think of you as a friend. As for what I said last night?" he shrugged, picking up a seashell with trembling hands and toying around with it, "For one, I was drunk; two, I was pissed; three, I was paranoid as _shit_ because of that scary fucking sword currently camping out in my bedroom."

"What were you angry about?"

"That you would lie about your connections. I was more upset that you lied to my face than I was about the connections to _begin_ with. Plus, I was _drunk_...and that tends to fuck with your emotions."

"I don't expect you to forgive me for lying to you...for hiding that knowledge from you."

"I do, and you know why?"

"Why?"

"You might not realize this, but I and the rest of my team possess the ability to read minds. I know you're innocent because I scoured your mind. You're not scheming to threaten us, you don't have any ill-will against us, so you're innocent. It's the same way I knew that, when Jazz came back this last time, he was truly regretful for what he did. I also got a good luck at your emotions...you're full of regret, sorrow, and guilt...and let me be the first to tell you that what happened with your family and the Legion...it's not your fault..." he collapsed to the sand, leaning against the boulder and sighing, "You know, Terrias and I were captured by those machines...they were called the Reapers. They indoctrinated us, brainwashed us into doing their bidding...and I didn't remember until you told me about what happened. _We_ were there the day your town was massacred, _I_ personally was the one who slaughtered everybody in the archives. So here's my question to you..." silence for several seconds as he stood back up once again, glancing down at the shell he held, "I forgive you...are you willing to forgive me, too?" and he held the shell out to her.

She sat in place for several minutes, a look of shock and betrayal on her face as she looked away, saying nothing.

Alex moved in close to her, pressing the sides of their bodies together, "I'm sorry, Ember...I'm sorry for snapping at you, and I'm sorry for the shit Piermont said...most of all, I'm sorry for what happened two years ago. You're not the only one suffering guilt and regret, and you're not the only one with a chip on their shoulder and a blatant difficulty in making friends and trusting others. The difference between us is that I've come to accept what I did, and I'm willing to forgive...not just others, but myself. The question is: can you say the same? I'd like to think of you as a friend, and although I can't replace the people you've lost...hopefully myself and my friends can give you a _new_ family, and a _new_ home to go back to. You don't have to go about life alone, you don't have to _die_ alone, you hear me? You're needed, you're wanted, and most importantly, you're loved. You can have a family again, a home again...what matters is whether or not you're willing to open your heart to allow others inside to help you. I know how it feels to be so hurt by the world that you need to shut others out...I've _been_ there. Hell, I'm _still_ in there, slowly cutting myself out. I'm giving you a chance, _that's_ why I saved your life, because I love you. Not as a boyfriend or a mate or anything, but as a sister and a friend," and again, he held the shell out towards her.

She turned her head towards him, staring at the shell for a few seconds before hesitantly retrieving it from him, and with a firm nod, she broke into tears, enclosing her arms around Alex's neck in a warm embrace. He hugged her back, on the verge of tears himself, saying, "You're not alone, Ember...you're _never_ alone. We will always be here for you, _I_ will always be here for you, you hear me?"

They remained that way for several more minutes until they had both gained control over their emotions.

Only then did Alex break the hug, saying, "Now, Alpha and I are about to have a meeting about how to take the fight back to Vergil and finally stop all this apocalyptic bullshit. You in? I could really use your help."

She nodded, "I'm with you."

With a warm smile, he clapped her shoulder, half-hugging her, "Good girl! Let's get going then before it's gets too late," and he hopped upright, helping her to her feet before walking across the beach, heading back to the town resting on the craggy, mossy cliffside overlooking the ocean.

- **Northern Skyrim, Tamriel-**

 **- _09 March 2017_ -**

 **- _0700 Hours_ -**

 _..."Alright, fine." Faythe said._

" _When are we headed, again?"_

" _January 17th, 2013." Synthia answered, "Remember to give yourselves enough time to do something. And try not to get spotted."_

 _Faythe nodded and, without another word, opened a portal; allowing both she and Alex to step through..._

Several seconds later, another portal opened and Faythe stepped through, Cosmo following close behind her. "Welcome to the world of tomorrow!" Robert exclaimed in an overly dramatic tone.

Synthia only shook her head, saying, "Shut up, Robert," before turning to Faythe and noticing her missing brother. "Where's Alex?"

"There was a slight change in plan. Alex had to stay back a bit longer to make sure things went how they were supposed to."

Almost as soon as she said this, another portal opened up a few seconds later, and Alex finally stepped through, saying, "Hello again. What did I miss?"

"About five seconds of us doing nothing," Violet said.

"Wow, that much, huh? God damn..."

Synthia walked up to Cosmo, saying, "Hi, Cosmo. My name's Synthia, pleasure to meet you. You've already met Alex and Faythe. The others you see here are Faythe's sister, Violet, and my half-siblings, Robert and Alexia." and she pointed to all three as she said their names.

"I...I don't understand..." Cosmo said, "Who are you? _What_ are you? What's going on? Where's Tails?"

"That is a very long story, Cosmo. You'll know everything soon enough, don't worry," Faythe responded.

Synthia added, "Yeah. Besides, we have a more pressing matter to attend to at the moment."

"Where's Tails? They said they would save him."

"Well, as it turns out, Cosmo, that is the pressing matter that we're currently attending to. But we can't just rush in without a plan," Violet responded

"So...is he really...um...gone?"

"Yes and no. Depends how you look at it," Violet replied.

Cosmo slowly and quietly took a seat at the table, sniffling and burying her face in her palm.

"I really don't think a plan is going to help. Syn said it herself; Wraith can turn his world into whatever the hell he wants. We'll never have a solid enough plan because of that. We should just head over there now," Alex said.

"You're forgetting that we still have Kira to deal with," Violet responded.

"He's right," Alexia added, "The longer we wait here, the less time we have to do any of this, and we don't even have that much to begin with."

"Okay, enough of this. Arguing about it isn't gonna get us anywhere," Synthia said, "Alex has a point. Any actual plan we come up with is just going to be countered in one way or another, so our only real option is to improvise. It's gotten us this far, hasn't it?"

"Alright, fine," Violet replied.

"Anything I can do to help?" Cosmo asked.

"I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to come with us, Cosmo," Synthia replied.

Cosmo only nodded, "Take care of yourself, be careful...and thank you for saving my life...just please bring Tails back here, safe."

"We will...I promise," Omniversal Alex said, and in a flash of light, they all vanished, leaving Cosmo alone.

- **Altessa, Rune-**

 **-** _ **09 March 2017: Present Day**_ **-**

 **- _1219 Hours_ -**

"Sorry I'm late," Alex began, stepping out onto the restaurant rooftop, Ember right on his tail. As he took a seat between Cynder and Ruby, Ember pulling up a chair to sit next to him, he continued, "Did I miss anything?"

"We were just about to begin," Zinnia replied, then, "Nice of you to join us, Ember."

The dragon girl said nothing in response, only looked towards the ground.

"Anyway," the French girl continued, "You got the support of Skyrim and Guardiana?"

"Affirmative," Cynder replied, "Alex was right, after what happened in Windhelm, they were quick to hop aboard for the counteroffensive."

"Excellent, I've been talking to some other towns in the area, they seem willing to join our cause as well...even managed to fly a general in from Alagaesia, and they agreed to help as well, shockingly enough."

"Good," Alex replied, "Christ knows what Vergil has in store for us in New Alexandria and the hectic roar to, we're going to need all the help we can get. Especially since I have an important detour we're going to have to make first."

"Which is...what?" Zinnia asked.

"Sam managed to zero in on New Babylon," the Commander replied, glancing at his trembling hands for a second before he stood up, pacing around the deck and digging for a cigarette, "We're heading to Virginia _en route_ to New Alexandria, gonna paint the goddamn floor with that fat fuck and his twisted hybrid's blood before we take the fight to Vergil. Good way to prepare our guys for the fight against _Filios Diaboli_ , I get to rescue Tiberius and Athena, _and_ that fat cunt gets a nice slice of karmic fucking justice."

"No," Zinnia replied, "All that will do is cost us casualties that we need to save against Vergil, we need all the numbers we can get if we hope to take our city back, we can't afford vendetta roadtrips."

"No!" Alex hissed, stomping towards the girl and pointing an accusing finger at her, his movements were sporadic and sudden, almost every muscle in his body violently and spastically twitched and he kept pacing, rocking back and forth when he stood in one place. Even his speech was stuttering and abrupt, like that of a withdrawing addict, or a schizophrenic, " _You_ don't understand! That prick has Tiberius and Athena, and I can only imagine the kinds of sick, sadistic shit that... _fuck_...has done to them!"

Zinnia held her palm out towards him, waving him off, "Now just...hold on, for a second, Alex. Let's think logically here..."

"I CAN'T HOLD ON!" he exploded, " _NONE_ of you seem to _FUCKING_ understand! That bastard has my kids! And the longer we wait to save them, the more time that sick fuck has with them! We are _OUT_ of time!"

Maintaining her cool, Zinnia continued, "Listen to me for a second, Alex..."

"YOU LISTEN!"

"Alex!" Terrias' voice boomed, attracting all eyes to him, "Shut up and let her talk!"

Breathing rapidly, twitching and trembling violently, Alex barely managed to get the cigarette in his mouth, striking a light and taking a long, deep dragon, managing to slightly ease the shakes.

Once the air had cooled for a few seconds, Zinnia continue, "We'll get them, Alex. Don't worry. However, at least right now, the most important thing for us is to save our numbers, ammo, and strength for the fight against Vergil. Once we get New Alexandria back, we replenish our strength for a few days, get our army together, and then we can wage war on God's Company to save your kids."

Alex violently shook his head, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no...we don't have time! What don't you idiots understand? We don't have _TIME_!"

"Alex, chill out and take a seat," Terrias said, and with a sigh, the Commander reclaimed his seat, leaning forward and vigorously rubbing his trembling hands together, breathing deeply to calm his nerves.

"Now, back to the conversation..." Zinnia began, "With the soldiers we managed to amass, the plan is to move to the States, probably in Florida where I _know_ we have friends, see if the government can spare any extra troops, then roll towards New Alexandria. Hopefully we can fly long enough beneath the radar that we can make some significant progress towards the city before _Filios Diaboli_ catches on and has too much time to prepare for an invasion. Time is of the essence, and the longer we're on the radar, the smaller our chances of taking the city back become..." she waved towards Alex, rocking in his chair and trying to calm himself, "Which is why we can't attack New Babylon _just yet_. Our main priority is New Alexandria, and although I understand the need to save your kids, Alex...God's Company's threat and importance is _nothing_ compared to the impending apocalypse we're facing right now."

"Hopefully, killing Vergil is quick. Vergil's dangerous, yes, but the _real_ threat is the Alpha Breaker. That's what's destroying the Greater Beams," Necrodusk said, "And its this destruction that's causing the apocalyptic events we're witnessing these days."

"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Vergil is _guarding_ the Alpha Breaker, or at least feeding it power, which is why we need to cut down Vergil and take New Alexandria back as fast as possible. Once that's done, we'll figure out how to get into this...what did you call it?"

"The _Inner Dimension_ ," Necrodusk replied.

"Right," Zinnia continued, "Once we kill Vergil and recapture New Alexandria, we'll figure out how to get into the _Inner Dimension_ and kill the Alpha Breaker. Then, once all that's done, we'll worry about God's Company."

"You can't even scratch the bastard unless you have someone without a soul, ain't that why we risked saving Ember anyway?" Rocket added.

"He's right," Necrodusk said.

Zinnia sighed in irritation, "Okay...so what do we do about that?"

"Ember," Necrodusk began, "You are the reincarnation of Ophelia, the keeper and guardian of Messoremel...you should possess the ability to see if someone has a soul or not. Do you know how to use it?"

"I've never tried it myself," the dragon girl replied, "But I remember reading about spells and rituals performed to do it."

"Would you be able to remember those rituals?"

She shook her head, "The scrolls were written in a dead language and often too faded to read, that's why we were tasked with rewriting them. I only ever saw those particular ones once or twice...I'm sorry."

"That's good," Necrodusk replied, "I may be able to help you recall them."

"How?"

"I have ways of entering your mind and bringing forgotten memories forward."

"Plus there's that hypnotism bullcrap," Rocket added, shrugging.

"That, too..." and the demon continued, "Once I bring those memories to light, I will need you to practice those spells...it's important we find someone without a soul, and fast, so that we can get near Vergil. As we are right now, we are unable to hurt him."

"Didn't that Omniversal chick say something about severing his connection to the Omniverse to make him weaker?" Rocket suggested.

"She did," Alex replied with a scowl, "But I'm not willing to wait around until she decides to crop up again, the longer we wait, the greater chance of Tiberius and Athena being dead."

"Alex," Terrias began, "You need to understand, they've been under Christian and Sonichu's control for a long time already...there's a chance they might already be..."

"Don't you say it!" the Commander hissed, suddenly on his feet and in Terrias face, "Don't you fucking _DARE_!"

"Alex, it's a reality you need to recognize," Cynder added, "It may already be too late."

"You don't know that!"

"But neither do you," Dash said.

"Alex," Zinnia said, "You need to be willing to accept what you'll find when we get there...whatever it may be."

"Which is why we need to get there first!"

"And risk our already limited resources on _that_!?" Dash spat, "We barely have enough to deal with Vergil! We can't afford to waste it on them!"

"I'm sorry, Alex," Cynder said, "But Dash and Zinnia are right...we need to concentrate on _Vergil_ here...not Christian."

"I don't believe it..." Alex groaned, "I don't fucking believe _any_ of it! You're all more than willing to let my kids stay in that hellhole! If it were any of your kids you'd be roguing out to go pull them outta the fire! What makes _ME_ any different!?"

"I would say the same, _regardless_ of who's kids it was, Alex," Zinnia said.

"Even if it were _yours_!?"

Silence for several moment before, with a slight nod, "Yes, even if it were mine."

Alex shook his head, "Unbelievable...un- _FUCKING_ -believable!" and without another word, he stormed out of the meeting, leaving the rest of his unit behind.

With a sigh, Cynder said, "Jesus Christ...he's becoming so unhinged...I'm scared he's going to become what Piermont was."

"Don't say that," Spyro said, "He won't...he's just...he's stressed. Once everything goes back to normal, he will, too..."

"Hopefully..." Cynder said sadly, sighing.

"He will, Cyn...don't worry..." then to Zinnia, "Anyway, you were saying?"

Alex sat on the low, white, sandstone wall at the edge of the cliff upon which the city was perched, dangling his legs over the edge. Beyond him, after a hundred foot drop off, the white, sandy beaches of Altessa stretched out until finally kissing the roaring ocean waves. "I'm sorry about Tiberius and Athena..." Kira spoke, landing on the road and folding her wings, taking a seat beside him, "I understand how you feel."

"I don't get it, Kira..." Alex sighed, "I'd do anything to make sure we got their families home...but yet I make the same request, and they just blow me off!"

"I understand where they're coming from, too..." she replied, "Vergil is the most dangerous foe you guys have ever faced. They're scared."

"They're still alive, I just _know_ it," Alex said, "If they would just...give me a chance to prove it..."

Kira extended one wing over the Commander's shoulders, pulling him close to her in a hug, "I'm with you. I think we have _plenty_ of time to go save them. If we waited _this_ long, I'm sure we can spare another day or two."

"Good luck explaining that to them."

"Yeah, well _fuck_ them! Tiberius and Athena are more important than Vergil right now, and if worse come to worse, I'll help you get them."

"That means a lot, Kira...it really does."

She only nodded, looking towards the roaring ocean and saying, "You know, I always _did_ wonder what the ocean looked like. I heard legends, stories...but I'd never seen it with my own eyes, I never thought I would. My sister...she used to tell me that she would fly me to the sea one day...and then she met that boy."

Silence fell between them, and the Commander glanced towards her. She was frowning, appearing distracted, and he realized that, in her mind, she was a little girl again, spending time with a cherished sister she would never see again. He tenderly grabbed her hand in his, and she snapped back to reality with a small gasp, closing it tightly, "I'm sorry, I wish there was something I could do."

She shrugged, "You really want to know?"

"Yeah,of course."

"Fine the man that killed her, and make sure he knows the pain that he put me through."

Alex nodded, "We'll see about that when everything calms down."

"Thank you," she replied, gently and awkwardly hugging him. He responded by kissing her, startling her for a few seconds before, "Okay, let's stop with the soft, squishy shit, dumbass...we got a job to do," but she said this with light humor and a sly, almost embarrassed smile.

"I don't think we can get them alone...we need help."

"Shit, we took on an entire town by ourselves...we don't need the others to take on that fat bastard."

"This is different, Kira."

"How so?"

"You and I took on some scared cops who had no idea what the hell was going on. This guy has an entire army standing by just _waiting_ for someone like us to come after him. He captured Tiberius and Athena to _lure_ us to him."

"You don't think we can do it?"

"No, not alone..."

"I'm the only one you got, dumbass," she replied with a grin, "C'mon, Alex...please? I want to have the chance to fuck up shit and ruin people's days with you again...no rules or limitations. Please? _And_ you get to save our..." she caught herself, "Sorry, _your_ kids...so whaddya say?"

After a few moments, Alex nodded, "Okay, we'll do it."

"YES!" Kira cheered, hopping up in excited, "I love you!" and she hugged him tightly, kissing him firmly on the mouth.

"Listen, Kira...we can't tell the others."

"Why the hell would I? All they would do is try to stop us...besides, it's not like I want to involve them in our little mission anyway. I want it to be between you and I, and _just_ us...nobody else."

"What is we run into trouble?"

Silence for a few moments before, "Okay, fine. Anybody who's willing to help us can join, too...but I don't know who, and I'm not going to ask to find out."

"When do we leave?"

"I suppose when we get back to the mainland, then we can head to North Carolina to talk to Sam. If there's a way you and I can slip out unnoticed..." she shrugged, "They might just think we ran off to fuck. Then, it shouldn't be too hard to castrate that sleazy prick, rescue your kids, and reunite with the rest of the army for our attack on New Alexandria. Easy."

"Things are never that easy, Kira."

"Who knows? It might be," she grinned, "Have a little faith, dumbass."

"Can I come with...?" a small, shy voice began, and both of them turned to see Ruby cautiously approach, her small, pale hands clasped together at her waist.

"You sure you can handle it?" Kira asked, crossing her arms.

"I can handle it," the girl replied firmly, "They're my kids, too."

"Count me in, too..." Rocket said, suddenly appearing, "Scarlet and I can use the _Titan_ for support."

"Let me help, too..." Ember said, the dragon-girl emerging from the shadows.

Kira sighed, rubbing her temples, "Anybody else want to jump in then?"

When nobody else showed up, Alex said, "With all of us working together here, those bastards don't stand a chance."

"Well, s'not like you got three members of the High Command," Rocket chuckled, "You, Ruby, and I could probably take 'em on solo. With Scarlet, Kira, and the new girl, I think our odds are pretty good."

"How are we gonna explain _everyone's_ absence?" Kira asked.

"Better question is 'who gives a shit'," the Commander replied, "We'll slip out while everyone sleeps, then they can figure out what happened when we already got a distance too big for them to cover. We'll go in, save Tiberius and Athena, burn that city to the ground, then head back to the invasion squad before people get _too_ worried about where we are."

"When are we leaving?" Rocket asked.

"Once we get back to the states," Alex responded, "Now let's get back before anybody gets suspicious."

The group broke apart, going there separate ways until only Alex and Kira remained. The harpy, appearing none-too-pleased, only sighed in exasperation, "I wanted this to be someone that you and I did by ourselves... _without_ everyone else tagging along."

Alex affectionately pet the harpy, "Don't worry, we'll figure out something...maybe when we go after your sister's killer, that'll just be you and me. Promise."

"Fine, but I'm gonna hold you to that, dumbass," Kira replied with a sly grin, affectionately punching him in the shoulder.

"Come, let's get back home before we're missed," and with Alex grabbing the harpy's hand, the duo jogged back to town.


	44. Chapter XLIII: Twilight Hour

_**Chapter XLIII**_ **:**

 **-''Twilight Hour''-**

 **-Daytona Beach, Florida-**

 **- _11 March 2017_ -**

 **- _2001 Hours_ -**

The _Titan_ touched down just outside of Daytona Beach, depositing its passengers before Rocket called over to the Commander, "Gonna put the warp drive to the test, see if I can't help reinforcements from the Gothics get here faster."

"Don't worry about it," Alex replied, "I don't want to test the _Titan_ 's limitations. Hopefully we'll get everyone here by tomorrow, then we can start rolling north."

"So...uh...when we gonna leave to do the thing?"

"Tomorrow night," Alex replied, "That way we won't have to stray too far from the beaten path to get there."

"What thing?" Cynder asked, approaching them.

"Alex and I got some plans tomorrow night, gonna show me a few tips and tricks with a sword."

"Figured he's pretty good with a knife, wanna see how big we can go."

"And you know me," Rocket chuckled, "The bigger the better."

Cynder nodded, "Just don't take _too_ long, we need all the help we can get against Vergil."

"Yeah, yeah..." Alex waved her off, "I know...anyway..." he turned to face his gathered comrades, ignoring the confused and even frightened looks of the spectators, "My maternal grandparents live nearby, let's go pay them a visit. At the least, they can get us a place to stay while we wait for the rest of the invasion party..." he glanced up to the overcast sky, hearing distant thunder rumble, "Don't think _anyone_ is too thrilled to get caught out in the rain."

" _I've had enough of you stupid dinosaurs! I'm tired of being pushed around, and I won't put up with it any longer!"_

" _You better not lay so much as a claw on her!" Tiberius roars._

" _What are you gonna do, huh? You and that girl are just two little skanks and I'm tired of putting up with you! Die!" and Christian plants the gun firmly against Tiberius' head before..._

"NO!" Ruby cried, shooting up and gasping for breath, "No, no, _NO!_ "

"Hey!" Alex exclaimed, jumping up and hurrying to the girl's side, embracing her, "Hey, hey...it's okay! It's okay..."

"No...no, no, no...he's going to hurt them! He's going to hurt them!"

"Shh, Ruby, it's okay...it's okay! It was just a dream, I'm here, I'm here..."

Still breathing heavily, Ruby tried to calm herself, still panicking.

"I'm here, Ruby...I'm here..." Alex soothed, holding the small girl in his arms, "It was just a dream...everything will be okay."

"Alex..." the girl sobbed, "Christian and Sonichu they're...they're going to kill our kids! They're going to kill our kids..."

"Shh, it was just a dream...they're fine, they're fine, I promise."

"What's wrong with her?" Cynder asked, quietly slipping into the room and casting a sympathetic glare towards the sobbing girl.

"She's having nightmares about Tiberius and Athena."

"Christian is hurting them...I-I can hear them crying for help. They're alone and they're scared and...he's going to kill them."

The Commander glanced towards the she-dragon, her expression strained and saddened. Soothing the girl and quietly laying her back down, tucking her in and kissing her head, Alex hopped out of bed, shooing her out of the bedroom and into the hall. Quietly closing the door behind him, Alex said to Cynder, "I don't think Tiberius and Athena are going to survive much longer."

"It was just a dream, Alex...they can last a little while longer."

He shook his head, "I don't think so. Ruby might not be able to tell the difference between dreams and visions but..." he cast a deeply concerned glance towards the door, "He's been raping Athena."

" _What?_ How do you know?"

"I can hear her cries...and I've been having some...unsettling visions lately."

Alex considered telling the dragoness of his plan, but as much as he wanted to confide in her, he knew that if she found out, she would try to stop him, even if she really didn't want to. "So that's what they mean..." the dragoness sighed, and when Alex cast her a confused glance, she continued, "I've had some similar dreams lately...and I think it's more than just a nightmare. I think she's sick, maybe from infection...fever dreams that can only come from her have been torturing me lately."

"Exactly why she doesn't have much longer left. If she dies and Tiberius finds out, he will stop at nothing to make sure that Christian pays for it...he'll kill himself to make sure she's avenged."

"We have no choice then," Cynder said with a sigh, "We _need_ to save them first."

"Funny thing actually," Alex began, relieved, "Kira, Ruby, Rocket, Scarlet, and I are gonna leave tomorrow night to go bust them out."

"So that's _really_ what you and Rocket are planning, huh?" Cynder chuckled sadly, "Let me help you, then."

"You know how you can help?"

"How?"

"Convince Zinnia to let us take this trip...but don't tell her our plan, in case she refuses to be swayed, I don't want her stopping us."

"I won't," Cynder replied, "I'll tell her that it's either we _all_ go, or I'll go by myself. _That'll_ pressure her into making a decision."

"Spyro will listen to you, he'll listen to _anything_ to fix your relationship."

"As much as I don't want to take advantage of him...you're right."

"What makes matters worse," Alex began, "If Christian and Sonichu—or at least Sonichu—find out that we're coming for them...they'll waste no time in executing Tiberius and Athena...that's if Athena's illness doesn't get to her first."

"We'll need all the reinforcements we can get then...the sooner we can take them down, the sooner we can rescue your kids before something particularly bad happens to them."

"So you've got my back?"

The she-dragon nodded, "I _always_ have your back, Alex. Even if I don't always agree with the things you say..." she smiled sadly towards him and they hugged again, the dragoness kissing her mate, "I always have your back."

"They won't listen to me, you know."

"Leave the confrontation to me," the she-dragon chuckled, "As I'm sure you know, love, I can be _very_ convincing..." and with another smile, "Get some rest, okay? Help Ruby get through the night...I'll talk to Zinnia first thing tomorrow, and I'll get this mission greenlit. Don't worry."

"I love you, Cyn."

"I love you, too, Alex...goodnight."

"Night, love..." and they kissed once again, Cynder pulling him close with her bladed tail, slipping her thin, forked, sandpapery tongue into his mouth. Once she broke the kiss, she placed her forehead against his own for a few second before breaking away and slinking back into the room she shared with Spyro, leaving Alex alone in the hall. With a sigh, he quietly slipped open the bedroom door and slipped back inside the bedroom.

"I'm scared, Alex..."

"What are you scared about?" the Commander replied, climbing back into bed.

Ruby snuggled beneath the covers, curling around him and placing her head onto his shoulder. He quietly and gently swiped the bangs out of her face, and the sniffling girl said with a shake of the head, "They're going to die...aren't they?"

"Not if I can help it," Alex replied firmly, "Cynder said she's going to talk to Zinnia and convince her to let us head to New Babylon _first_."

"What if we can't get there in time? What if it's too late or...or what if they're already dead!?"

"Don't worry, Ruby," Alex continued, "They're strong, they can hold on for a little while longer. We'll save them, I promise..." and kissing her head, he said, "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Hey...Alex?"

"Yeah?"

And in a shy voice, almost too small to be heard, "I love you..."

With a smile, Alex kissed her forehead, saying, "I love you, too, Ruby...now get some sleep, okay?"

With a nod, she curled into fetal position once again, pressing her small, almost frail body as close to his as she could. Shortly after, her breathing calmed, and cradling the love of his life, the Commander drifted sleep soon after, holding the girl tightly in his arms.

Morning came, casting the world in a brilliant golden hue. Alex was the first of his comrades to awaken, and as he slipped out of Ruby's sleeping arms, he quickly dressed himself and headed outside, breathing in the cool, crisp, fresh air. The Commander took a deep breath, trying to calm his frantic nerves. The thought that they were finally going to take New Alexandria back excited him, but at the same time, he succumbed to the 'pre-battle jitters' that they all seemed to suffer from. Most importantly to him, at least right now, was that regardless of whether or not Zinnia could be convinced, he was going to rescue his captive kids.

A thought suddenly came to mind: would Tiberius and Athena recognize Ruby in her new form? Would they still love her? There were few people who's thoughts and opinions of her really affected the poor girl. Obviously Alex had the most sway over her mood, but the opinions of her two adopted kids affected her as well...would they still love her? Alex found himself especially worried about Tiberius' opinion of her. Athena would be relatively easy to convince that the new girl traveling with them was still Ruby, she believed and trusted him. Tiberius, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely. He utterly despised his adopted father, and if the male _deinonychus_ came home to find his mother missing, Alex feared that he would refuse to trust Ruby, and strongly, firmly believe that Alex had done something to hurt the dolphin he had come to accept as his mother.

Again, Alex's thoughts turned back to Ruby, and everything that she had sacrificed to be everything that the love of her life would want. The upcoming battle would probably be the hardest that they ever had, and likely ever would, and there was no guarantee that _any_ of them would make to the other side alive. The Commander briefly wondered if he should approach Ruby, spend some time with her while they still could. Ultimately, however, he decided against this, figuring that it would be a pleasant surprise if they got out of this alive.

Fox had confirmed to him that Ruby was, in fact, intact now, and that the next sexual encounter they had with one another would be painful and unpleasant to her. The doctor had added that it would be easier for her if she didn't have anything she was stressing or worrying about, further convincing the Commander to wait until everything had calmed before he approached the girl. As an added benefit, saving it until after their wedding would mean a lot to the girl, and he would win a lot of brownie points with Ruby if he saved himself for that. Plus, if they saved themselves until after their wedding, it would be much easier for his mother to accept Ruby as his wife, making his relationship with his biological family easier to deal with, especially while his mother actively hunted for reasons to despise his choice in partners. With trembling hands, Alex pulled a cigarette from his pocket, creating a small ball of fire in the palm of his hand. With each deep breath from his cigarette, the severe shaking in his hands decreased and his mind felt clearer, less busy. Another worry came to mind then: would his trembling hands affect his aim? He hadn't really used a gun in some time, and since the last time he had fired a rifle, the worrisome shakes had only gotten worse. His ability to refine his focus in battle, under pressure, helped to steady his aim, but he didn't know how long this would last with the worsening shakes.

"I talked to Zinnia last night," Cynder began, snapping Alex from his thoughts and turning the Commander away from the rising sun, towards the dragoness. The sunlight reflected off her brilliant, glistening, black scales, emphasizing the sleek curves of her body and belly and casting her in a warm sort of glow.

"What did she say?" the Commander responded, leaning against the wall of the house.

With a sigh, Cynder stood by her mate's side, shining sapphire-emerald eyes staring towards the eastern horizon, "It took a _lot_ of convincing...but I think I managed to strong-arm her to our side," and the she-dragon glanced to the side towards her mate, casting him a sly, mischievous grin.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Alex said, "So, we've been greenlit?"

The she-dragon nodded, "Yep...she gave us twenty-four hours to get Tiberius and Athena and burn that fucking city to the ground."

"Awesome!"Alex laughed, "Time to nail these fuckers' balls to the wall!"

"Oh, we're going to have fun, indeed," Cynder chuckled darkly, "The important question though..." she smiled towards her lover, "When do we attack, Commander?"

"We'll set out in a few hours, once everyone has a chance to wake up," Alex chuckled, "Hopefully, by tomorrow night, New Babylon will be a burning pile of debris, and we'll be on our way to New Alexandria to take the fight to Vergil and kick that bastard's ass once and for all!"

Upon reentering the house, Cynder left to talk to Spyro while Alex caught Necrodusk conversing with a tired Ember. "Any luck on that soul-seeking bullshit?" the Commander asked.

"Ah, Alex...I was wondering when you would arrive," Necrodusk began, turning to face the Commander while Ember took a seat nearby, rubbing her temples.

"Anything?"

"The memories have been found and retrieved," the demon replied, "Now it's putting the skill to practice. The rest falls on Ember's hands to figure out how to use the ability."

"You can't teach her?"

"I never learned," the demon replied, "Few possess the skill and ability needed to do so, Ophelia was one of those few."

"Yet you can?'

"I am incapable of learning the skill, it requires a pure soul, uncorrupted by any darkness or evil. Which is why humanity is unable to learn the skill...almost every soul is tainted by Lucifer's influence."

"You could just say you're not able to," Alex replied, "Didn't need to do the awkward explanation..." then to Ember, "So,you have any clue what to do?"

She shook her head, "No...and I don't know how long it will take me to read souls. It took my ancestors years upon years of practice, and sometimes they couldn't, even after spending entire lifetimes learning from scholars and magicians."

"Great...how the fuck are you gonna learn everything you need to know in two, three days?"

"Prayer," Necrodusk smirked, "Although I'd imagine that you have no friends in Heaven or Hell, at least, not anymore."

"No thanks to you."

The demon shrugged, "Valid point, but you didn't help matters either."

The Commander took a seat beside the exhausted dragon-girl, asking, "You okay, Ember?"

"Fine," she sighed, "I just never realized how tired I was until I managed to sleep in an _actual_ bed."

With a smile, Alex hugged the dragon-girl, startling her. At first, she was tense beneath him, but eventually she relaxed, "I'm glad you decided to stay with us, Ember."

She shrugged, "It's not like I belong anywhere else anymore...thank you for putting up with my initial stubbornness."

"I get what you were concerned about, I'm much the same way, so is Ruby. It's hard to trust strangers until I'm absolutely sure they won't bring any harm to me or the ones I love."

"Kinda hard when you have nobody left who cares about you, huh?"

Alex shrugged.

"Hey, Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"I heard your grandparents talking about how you and your mom don't get along."

"Well, she's kind of a bitch...she hates Ruby because our relationship isn't typical."

"Bury the hatchet."

The Commander was silenced by her sudden interruption, "Sorry, pardon?"

"Bury the hatchet," Ember repeated, "Life is too short to hold grudges. Don't waste your life hating someone, because there _will_ come a day when they won't be there anymore..." she looked off into the distance, "And you'll spend the rest of your life regretting the time you wasted on petty squabble when you could have spent it with them..."

Alex fell silent, unsure of what to say.

"Take it from me..." she sighed, "Every day I wake up wondering what I could have done different...what I could have done better..." she glanced towards the Commander, appearing on the verge of tears, "You know...the last thing I told my mom and dad...the last thing I said to them before I ran away was that I hated them, I hated their lifestyle, and I never wanted to see them again, I never wanted to see my _home_ again..."

"And you went back home..."

"And it was gone...it was _all_ gone...take it from me, life is too short to hold grudges. You don't want to live your life in regret, wishing that you could have done things differently, that you could have shown them how much you really cared about them. It doesn't matter what you went through, sit there and tell me with a straight face that you don't care about them at all."

"Of course I do...but I just..."

"No buts," Ember interrupted, "Your mother may not agree with things you've done in the past, but sometimes you have to look past their disagreements and continue showing them how much you actually care about them. I'm sure this split wouldn't have gone on this long if you would just bite your tongue and let her rant. As long as she's not baited, eventually her fury will die...I also wouldn't flaunt whatever it is she's upset about. Again, I know that you do, because I'm the same way...it makes you feel better about yourself. Resist it, don't taunt her, and she'll get used to it..."

"I wouldn't even bother trying to convince him," Necrodusk smirked, "Alex Vaughn can't be swayed very easily. Then again, you are a pretty girl...that tends to help."

"Oh fuck you," Alex growled, "Don't even start, mate."

"It's true, is it not?"

"She's a friend. Nothing more."

"Yes, and I've heard that before."

Ember only blushed, but otherwise said nothing about it in response, instead changing the subject, "So Zinnia has changed her mind?"

"Yep," the Commander responded, "Thank Christ, too...things will be easier with the rest of the army standing behind us."

"When are we leaving?"

"Soon," he replied, "Hopefully, by tomorrow night, New Babylon will be reduced to cinders and Tiberius and Athena will be safe once again."

By nightfall, the assumed location of New Babylon was in their sights...an empty clearing in rural Virginia with a strange haze in the air around it, as if staring at the air above a roaring fire. Alpha Company made their camp at the top of a mountain, overlooking the field where New Babylon supposedly rested, but still out of sight of any patrols that the hidden city, somehow existing between dimensions, would send out. Alex wasn't too afraid of attracting patrols anyway, God's Company was inept, even if they were still dangerous to the outnumbered and outgunned unit.

It didn't take long before everyone had retired for the evening, hoping to get plenty of sleep before the planned siege early the next morning. Alex lay in a sleeping bag in the middle of the mountain trail, holding a sleeping Ruby in his arms. Across from him, Cynder and Spyro lay tangled together, and the Commander could only grin—it seemed their relationship was doing well. Terrias lay with Aria, the male servine the only one of the duo awake, and he and Alex merely stared at each other in silence.

"You ready?" the servine whispered.

"As ready as I'll ever be," the Commander replied, glancing towards Ruby and gently parting the hair out of her eyes.

"You sure you want to do this?" 

"Tiberius and Athena's lives depend on me...it's not a matter of whether or not I want to, it's that I have no choice."

The servine nodded, seemingly understanding Alex's plight, "We're with you to the end."

"That's all I can ask."

"Well," the servine sighed, glancing towards his sleeping mate, "I should get some shuteye..." he nodded towards Alex, "You should as well...we have a busy day tomorrow."

"I will soon," the Commander replied, and with a nod, Terrias slid down into his own sleeping bag, laying against Aria and getting comfortable. Soon after, Alex was alone, and the Commander—still not tired—glanced at his surroundings, trying to relax. From her perch on a tree branch above, Blake cocked her head towards her human caretaker, and Alex clicked his tongue to summon the eagle down to him. She perched on her usual place upon his shoulder, and while Alex gently stroked the bird, he turned his head towards the cloudy skies and let his mind wander. The next two or three days would likely be the hardest he had ever experienced, and might ever _have_ to. He was tackling two intimidating foes with a single army of a little over under one thousand, and he _knew_ he had an uphill battle waiting for him. Again he turned to face Ruby, and the Commander could help but smile: perhaps, at the end of the day, he was doing this for _her_ , and he was excited that the day was fast approaching where he would carry this small, fragile girl over the threshold. Gently and tenderly kissing the young, sleeping woman, Alex shrank down into his own sleeping bag, enclosing a protective arm around her before he finally managed to summon the warm, pleasant darkness of sleep, allowing its soft, gentle caresses to comfort him and lull him into its embrace.

His sleep that night was light and troubled, but dreamless.


	45. Chapter XLIV: World War C

_**Chapter XLIV**_ **:**

 **-''World War C''-**

 **-New Babylon, Virginia-**

 **- _13 March 2017_ -**

 **- _0719 Hours_ -**

On the ramparts, patrolling the wall encircling the hidden city of New Babylon, one of the town's lone guards lit a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, taking a deep breath before exhaling into the sky above, continuing his patrol. In the distance, he could see a moderately-sized army, most of them on horseback with a few tanks intermingled within. "Hey, Bill?" a voice spoke from behind the guard, and he turned to see his friend running up to him, "Word just came back from the boss...air's getting stale, he wants us to drop the barrier."

"That might not be such a great idea..." the first guarded nodded towards the approaching army, "We got some friends nearby."

"Take 'em out!"

"Don't worry, we've had armies larger than this come by before...they just pass on through, never see anything."

"Well, _I_ ain't gonna tell him that we're not dropping the barrier. Christ, first Mabao, then Maximus, now Christian...how the hell do we always get roped into this shit?"

"Just be glad you didn't have a C.O who called himself frikking ' _No-Tongue'_. What kinda name is that?"

As the army grew closer and closer, the two guards felt the tension increase, "You sure they can't see us?"

"They shouldn't be able to..."

"Do they ever get this close?"

"Only once before, and that's when we found out that one of our telepaths was sleeping on the job and let the barrier come down a bit."

"Should I alert the boss?"

"Not yet. I don't think they can see us."

In a flash of light, a large, black dragon appeared in the sky, her form very feminine in form. Her belly scales were a brilliant, ruby red in color, and Bill felt his heart sink.

"Is that...?" his friend began.

"Why is the _Commander's Wing_ here!?"

"You _sure_ they can't see us?"

With a booming roar, the dragon opened her mighty maw, spewing a tongue of bright flame into the skies above. Instantly, she swooped down, approaching them at a breakneck pace and opening her mouth to attack.

"SHE CAN SEE US!" the duo exclaimed in unison, running back before Cynder tore through the ramparts, sending them both plummeting to the ground thirty feet below.

"Burn 'em to the ground!" Alex roared, riding upon Cynder's back. The she-dragon, without a word, opened her jaws and breathed a cloud of fire down onto the haze beneath them. Briefly, a transparent view of the city shimmered into view, and the Commander roared in approval, "Prepare to burn you sons of bitches!"

With confirmation of the city's location by the _Commander's Wing_ , the rest of the encircling army closed in, firing on all cylinders towards the cloaked city, occasionally shimmering into view beneath the stress of Cynder's relentless attack.

"We need to figure out how they're keeping the city cloaked and dispatch it!" Alex called, "We knock the city back into reality and our guys can move in to clean it out.

"On it," the dragoness replied, swooping down once again.

"Why aren't they fighting back?" Zinnia asked over the radio.

"My guess is that they want to keep the city hidden for as long as possible."

"They don't seem to realize we see them."

"I'm sure they do, they just know we can't see them very well."

Spyro rocketed out of the encircling army, joining his mate in the aerial assault on the sleepy city, "We need to take down that barrier!" he called, "We won't be able to get our forces through—let alone fight—as long as it's up!"

"That's what I was just saying," Alex replied.

"All right," Rocket suddenly began over the radio, "Managed to tap into their comms. Looks like they don't know what the hell is goin' on!" he collapsed into a wild cackle.

"Anything on how they're keeping the city cloaked?" the Commander asked.

"Like they'd talk about that sorta thing..." the raccoon replied, "Anybody who cares to know, knows already. Most of their communications are just everybody freaking out that they're under attack and having absolutely _no_ idea how to react. Keep flaming 'em...looks like whatever they have can't hold up to dragonfire...at least for very long. Anyway, I'll patch you through," and his voice cut out as the sound of panicking guards and complete confusion assaulted their ears.

An idea suddenly coming to mind, Alex contacted Rocket, "Can you patch me through into their comms?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods?"

"...What?"

"Did I use the wrong analogy? I _may_ have used the wrong analogy...but yes, patching you through now."

"Sir!" an operator exclaimed from the palace's control room, "We have an unknown transmission coming through, they've managed to breach all channels!"

"Kick them out!" Christian exclaimed, the short-tempered fat man patrolling the room, stomping towards the control console, "Don't just _leave_ them in there!"

"Miss me, fatass?" a cold, deep voice began over the line, "Guess what? We're coming for you, and I won't stop until there's nothing left of you. You will burn in hell for everything you've done, and I will have the pleasure of sending you there..."

"Where's that coming from!" Christian roared, ignoring the voice's taunts.

"They're right above us."

"Curses!" Christian hissed, "It's that stupid dragon!"

"Actually," Sonichu began, standing in the center of the room, arms crossed, "It's probably a rider _on_ that dragon."

"...Oh, and one final thing," the voice continued, "Tell your boyfriend that I'm coming for _his_ ass, too. I'll be seeing you _very_ soon, retard...Commander Vaughn, out."

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Christian exploded, "How many _TIMES_ do I have to tell people that! He's my minion! _MY MINION_!"

"What should we do, sir?" the operator asked.

"Sonichu! Get out there and shoot down that dragon!"

"And the rest of their army?"

The fat man chuckled, "I have a _special_ plan for them."

" _That's_ weird..." Rocket began, studying one of the computer terminals aboard the _Titan_ , hovering on the other side of the mountain from the city.

"What is, hon?" Scarlet asked.

With a few taps on the keyboard, Rocket replied, "Picking up some strange signatures at various points along what I _assume_ is the wall...never seen anything like it."

"Can you identify them?"

"Workin' on it," and with a few more taps, white noise, layered with eerie, ghostly whispering emerged from the computer's speakers. A faint warble was layered behind it, and Rocket had to take off his headphones.

"What _is_ that?" Scarlet asked, shuddering as she took off her own headset.

"I don't know."

"What are they saying?"

Hesitantly, Rocket replaced his headphones, and after a few seconds of listening, he shook his head, "I don't know...I can't make it out. It ain't English, I can tell you that."

Scarlet listened to before responding, "It's not _any_ language I've even _heard_ before...I don't think a normal person is capable of such phonetic sounds."

With a sigh, Rocket responded, "I'll let the Commander know."

"We might have to join them...it _is_ Alpha's fight after all. Zinnia didn't want the others _actually_ fighting on the front."

"Which is bullshit."

"Well, she wants to conserve our numbers for New Alexandria...I get where she's coming from. Besides, I don't think this is anything more than Alpha Company can handle...especially looking at their bloody history."

"Wait..." Rocket suddenly interrupted, tapping a few more times before staring at the screen in disbelief.

"What? What is it?"

Alex clung to Cynder's neck as the she-dragon and her dragonian mate circled each other in the air, taking turns breathing fire down upon the city.

"Alex, you gotta see this, man."

"Kinda busy right now...what do you got, Rocket?"

"I figured out where that cloaking barrier is coming from."

"What's it coming from?"

"Not ' _what_ '...' _who_ '. I hacked into the system, and apparently these guys got a group of these mutated beings called 'telepaths'...they're supporting the barrier. We kill the telepaths, we bring down that barrier."

"Think you can get in here with the Reaper cannon? We can use all the help we can get."

Rocket chuckled darkly, "I'll be there in a few."

"Where's he going?" Cynder asked.

"He's gonna bring out the big gun."

With only a nod, Cynder corkscrewed high into the sky, aileron rolling until both she and her rider were upright again, now flying back towards the mountains where the rest of the army waited. "I think they shit themselves," the dragoness chuckled.

"You shoulda pissed on 'em...add fuel to the fire."

"I'll save it for later," she replied with a wink, rocketing ahead and landing before the gathered forces. Before too long, the _Titan_ emerged around the mountain, speeding ahead at full speed and shimmering out of its _own_ cloak. The bottom of the machine opened outward, as if preparing to drop a payload, only instead, the reverse-engineered Reaper cannon slid out from within, charging to full power while the gunship slowed to a hover, strafing around the city like the earth orbiting the sun.

"Have a piece of this!" Rocket cackled, and with a loud, deafening boom, the cannon fired a continuous beam of red, superheated plasma towards the city, completely slicing through the barrier and a huge chunk of the perimeter wall, while simultaneously slicing through all of the buildings in its way like a hot knife through butter. While the cannon cooled, Rocket unleashed hell on the fleeing citizens with the _Titan_ 's four miniguns. The cloaking shield had all but disengaged by now, and although the city was still slightly transparent and impassable to the waiting armies, they were close to bringing the shield down. 

With the _Titan's_ support, Cynder and Spyro launched into the air, flying back towards the city to join the gunship in the aerial assault on New Babylon.

"Hey, Alex...Scarlet and I picked up some weird-ass transmissions coming from the city...some creepy white noise."

"What about it, Rocket?"

"Those transmissions are coming from the telepaths, I'll upload the data to your H.U.D, give 'em hell."

Instantly, seven red lights: looking like computer glitches, flickered into view through the viser Alex had retrofitted into Messorem's helmet. "Those matrices?" the Commander asked.

"Roger," Rocket replied, "Cut 'em down, and that shield should go down soon after."

"On it..." then to Cynder, "Let's go, first one's at our ten."

Rocket passed between Spyro and Cynder, continuing the onslaught of minigun fire as he strafed around the city. "Outta the way!" the raccoon exclaimed, "Cannon's ready to fire!"

With another loud, deafening boom, the Reaper cannon tore through the southeast corner of the city, instantly darkening one of the telepaths on Alex's H.U.D.

Within five minutes, all of the telepaths had been neutralized, and just like Rocket had said, the city shimmered into full corporeality soon after. It didn't take long after this for the waiting army to begin firing upon the city's walls, and the grounded members of Alpha Company raced along the field, dodging gunfire from the defenders, now returning fire on the advancing army. While the majority of the invasion party stayed back to provide cover fire—the only thing they had been cleared to do—around two hundred of them moved towards the city, ready to help Alpha Company carve through to the palace.

Within the calm silence of the _Titan_ , designed to prevent interruption from any exterior sounds, Scarlet continued firing the Reaper cannon while her boyfriend piloted the ship and activated every automated weapon the ship had attached to, all to the soothing sounds of George Bizet's _Habanera_ aria playing over the ship's speakers.

"The cannon's cooling system is failing and the ship's systems are overheating," Scarlet began, "Shit...we _really_ should have finished building this thing when we had the chance."

"You got 'em scared, that's good enough for now. You can ease up on that cannon now."

"Good," the fox replied with a sigh, leaning back in her seat.

Christian stormed into the dungeons beneath his palace, where his loyal servants were hard at work tending to his secret weapon. Two guards saluted the fat man, but he merely shoved them aside, asking with an annoyed snort, "Are the raptors ready?"

"We have yet to test them in a combat environment but..."

"Good! Release the raptors!"

"B-But, sir! They're still feral...if we release them now they'll turn on our own men!"

"You heard me, subject! RELEASE THE RAPTORS!" and he grinned widely as the small, frail, pallid man ran deeper into the dungeon sounding an alarm.

Alarms sounded throughout the city, startling both the invaders and defenders clashing on the streets. Heavy metal doors closed over shop doors and windows, temporarily halting the battle while both sides tried to determine what was going on. Suddenly doors along the palace walls opened and raptors dashed out from within, diving into the tall, neglected grass around the yard.

"Oh shit!" one of the defenders exclaimed, running for his life before a raptor lunged out of the grass, tackling him to the street and tearing him to pieces.

"This guy is fucking insane!" one of the invaders exclaimed, turning and running for cover. Dozens of raptors continued dashing throughout the city, spreading out and devouring anyone they saw without any hesitation.

Circling in the skies upon Cynder, Alex could see the dinosaurs running rampant throughout the streets, and it didn't take him long to figure out that they were _Perditus_ raptors...the question was how New Babylon got their hands on them. "What's going on!?" Cynder asked, unsure of what exactly was happening.

"Looks like Christian's been toying around with Reaper tech...stay in the air, don't land for anything!"

"Why? What's he doing?"

"It's _Perditus_!"

From hastily fortified positions, both the Terminator forces and God's Company turned their fire away from each other and towards the army of cloned carnivores terrorizing the city. The brief, unspoken, and unofficial alliance between the two opposing factions making flight and aerial combat easier, Alex took the distraction as an opportunity to draw closer to the palace, hoping _Perditus_ would keep everybody distracted long enough to confront Christian and Sonichu directly.

As if being summoned by the very thought of his name, one of Sonichu's lightning bolts appeared out of nowhere, narrowly missing Cynder. The she-dragon responded as expected, violently rolling and twisting to get out of the way of the unseen hedgehog's anti-air barrage. "Enough games!" his voice rang out through the air, and Alex barely had time to turn towards the hedgehog—hovering in the sky behind them—before Sonichu charged forward, knocking Alex off his mount's back and sending them both plummeting towards the ground. Alex landed harshly on the roof of a four-story manor, sliding down the shingles, through the fourth, third, and second floor balconies, and onto the soft grass of the ground. As he picked himself up, Sonichu lowered towards the ground, wielding a gilded spear charged with lightning, "You know? You're _really_ starting to piss me off," the hedgehog growled, teleporting around the Commander in flashes of electricity before appearing above Alex's head, aiming his spear towards the ground and free-falling from the sky. Alex narrowly managed to roll out of the way of the attack, and while Sonichu attempted to tear his stuck spear free from the ground, Alex picked up a chunk of asphalt laying near the street, quickly running over to where the hedgehog stood before striking the elemental in the back of the head.

With Sonichu distracted, Alex tore the spear free from the ground, impaling the hedgehog on it and pinning the beast to the ground. Instantly, a surge of electricity climbed up the spear's shaft and passed through Alex's body, forcing him to lose control over himself beneath his spastic muscles and knocking the Commander to the ground, out of breath, his muscles jerking with the last pangs of electricity surging through his body. With a gritty, electric chuckle, Sonichu picked himself up, reaching behind him and tearing the spear out from his body, twirling it in his hand. The puncture wound in his chest oozed golden, luminescent slime before the unknown fluid congealed in the wound, hardening it until he had healed.

The hedgehog approached the gasping Commander, saying, "I've learned a few tricks since the last time we met. You made a big mistake coming here, buddy."

"You stole my kids!" Alex hissed.

"That isn't the only thing we've done to them," Sonichu grinned, "Father finally found a girlfriend."

Alex bore his teeth in horror, "You sick fuck!"

The hedgehog pressed the palm of his hand against Alex's forehead, sending a crippling, painful wave of electricity through the Commander's body. Alex screamed against the pain, body jerking spastically as he fell to the ground.

"Says the kid who took a dolphin and a dragon to bed...if the news is correct."

"They're...just...kids!"

"And Father sure made a woman out of that little girl. You want to know what's _really_ morbid? Her brother watched it all unfold, and I could see that lustful glimmer in his eyes. He watched it and he _liked_ it. Father put her into heat, and I could tell that her sick brother wanted a piece of that pie."

Suddenly, from the bushes around them, three raptors launched towards them, hissing and snarling at them. Sonichu managed to cut one down before a second tackled him to the ground, the third pinning the Commander down. The beast snapped towards his throat, sharp talons tearing into his flesh, but Alex firmly grabbed the beast's muzzle holding it back. The beast's jaws snapped constantly, razor sharp teeth gnashing, breath and drool reeking of decomposing flesh and meat mere inches from his face.

Slowly gaining control over his body, Alex used the last of his strength to pry the raptor's jaws apart until he managed to snap the creature's jaw cleanly off. It screeched in pain and Alex kicked the beast in the stomach, throwing it to the side before hurriedly scrambling onto his feet, stomping repeatedly into the beast's head and face until its head popped liked an over-inflated balloon, spewing dark purple, oily ooze across the grass. Alex pondered helping Sonichu, struggling over the raptor, but decided it against it, turning tail and running towards the opposite end of the lawn, climbing over the fence and landing down on the street, _CYNDER! Get over here!_ He screeched, grabbing for a mauled soldier's shotgun before opening fire on three more raptors stalking him.

 _On my way_! The dragon responded, and once he heard the flaps of her wings closely behind him, Alex turned away from the approaching dinosaurs, leaping into the air in just enough time to grab onto one of her feet while she gained altitude. Once they were sufficiently high enough, Alex quickly scampered up Cynder's leg, swinging around her flank until he was sitting comfortably between her shoulders once again.

"Where to now, love?" she asked.

"The palace," Alex replied coldly, "We're out of time."

"Are you crazy? It's too defended, we don't stand a chance!"

"I have an idea," the Commander replied, "I need you to trust me."

"Always..."

"Good...get me near the outskirts of the palace grounds, and get up high."

Now nearing the palace, Cynder flew in an upward slant, past the clouds and to a point where it was nearly impossible to breathe between the low air pressure and bitter cold. "We'll freeze to death up here! I hope you have a plan!"

"Trust me!" Alex managed, slowly rising to his feet and perching precariously on the flying dragon.

"Alex? What are you doing!?"

"Stay back, Cyn..."

"Don't you fucking dare!"

"Don't come after me!"

"Alex, don't! STOP!" but he had already leaped off of her, streamlining his body and free-falling through the air.

"From this height, that fall will kill you!" Cynder screamed from behind him.

 _C'mon, Alex...you can do this!_ The Commander thought, emptying his mind and focusing on specific things that triggered his anger: past foes, betrayals, and the stubbornness of his loved ones. Central to his thoughts, and the one that fueled his fury the strongest, was the horrific image of the fat man he was after viciously and violently raping his adopted daughter while her captive brother watched. This thought sent his wrath over the edge, and he smiled sadistically as he felt that satisfying click in his mind. In the blink of an eye, his own eyes began to glow a brilliant, fiery red. A bright, fiery aura surrounded him, and with a furious scream, his body exploded in a column of liquefied flesh and blood, leaving only a fiery silhouette that slowly began to unfold. Two mighty wings stretched out, each extending fifty feet to either side, the torso and neck elongated to a sleek, thin form body and tail, hands and feet twisted and morphed to form talons, mouth and nose grew and angled to form a beak, and with an inhuman roar, Alex's Phoenix Forme was unleashed. The immense, elemental bird, made entirely of fire, created an expanding wall of fire that incinerated everything in its path with each flap of the hovering beast's wings. The palace guards and wall-mounted anti-air blasted away at the phoenix, but the attacks merely passed through its fiery body, doing nothing to harm the elemental bird.

It opened its beak, breathing a wave of white fire onto the ramparts, detonating the artillery's ammunition and reducing the soldiers to ash almost instantly. Now in full panic, all attention was drawn upon Alex, with both friendly and enemy forces trying to shoot down the bird, even while Alpha Company tried to talk their allies down. Before too long, the palace was entirely engulfed in flames, the walls burned like a candle, and so much black smoke poured from the burning pit of hell that lay before the firebird that the skies above the city were darkened to night. Every square inch of the entire, upper-class district of the city—near its center—was engulfed in greedy, hungry flame, quickly spreading across the overgrown grass to ignite the outlying areas. The raging inferno eventually became so great and uncontrollable that friendly forces had no choice but to pull back, leaving the city, while the defenders broke what little organization remained and tried to find a way to escape the bird's attack.

Soon, only Cynder and the phoenix remained in the skies, the she-dragon forced to fly low to avoid suffocation from the thick smoke. The she-dragon, absolutely terrified and worried for her mate, remained circling as close to the city as she could, waiting for the telepathic call for her to pick him up. The call didn't come, and although she couldn't see anything through the acrid smoke, she could hear the heavy beats of the phoenix's wings, and hear its inhuman cry, growing ever farther away. Before too long, Cynder was left with no choice but to retreat and return to the rest of her unit, it was too dangerous to remain in the air for any longer. Defeated, the sleek, black dragoness landed amid the rest of the clustered Alpha Company, watching from a nearby hill overlooking the city as it burned brightly and hotly. Even from a mile away, the heat emanating from the inferno was unbearable. "You think he'll be okay?" Cynder asked, worried.

"Have faith in him," Spyro replied, "He'll get out of this, don't worry."

Cynder's frown only became more apparent, and Spyro, glancing towards her, only smiled sympathetically, nuzzling her affectionately and tangling his tail in her own.

"He'll be fine," the purple dragon continued, watching the inferno, "I promise."

Eventually, Alex's fury bottomed out, and the exhausted phoenix crash landed onto one of the ten-story building's upper-floor balconies. The phoenix, now glowing a deep, dark, and dead red, flashed golden orange before its wavering glow intensified once again to a blinding yellow. Shortly after, the glow shrank, retreating towards the center of the bird before it adopted a humanoid form, and in another flash of light, Alex—back in his normal form—groaned and rolled onto his back, coughing and hacking against the suffocating smoke. He opened his eyes, blinking against the sting, before holding an arm against his face, shielding it from the hungry flares of the uncontrollably fires burning around him. The entire world was painted a blinding red, as if staring into the crater of a volcano, visibility was limited to a few, hazy feet, all sound was drowned out by the roar of the raging inferno, and the heat was akin to being cooked in an oven.

Weakly standing upright, Alex stumbled towards the opposite end of the balcony, holding an arm to his face against the heat and light. His energy was sapped, but thankfully, anyone who _would_ oppose him were nothing more than charred skeletons laying strewn about on the balcony, baked into the concrete terrace. The Commander skirted a swimming pool, watching as the water on its surface bubbled and boiled like a giant pot on the stove. The double doors leading back into the palace were thrown open and two guards ran outside, screaming as their ammunition detonated on them, peppering the area in shrapnel. A third guard, engulfed in flame, screamed in agony as he charged out of the building, running towards Alex. In a swift, fluid motion, the Commander managed to shove the burning man into the swimming pool, and his screams were drowned out by a violent, vicious sizzling and the smell of burning flesh, all while the boiling pool water darkened to a bloody red. An explosion occurred deep beneath Alex, and he flung himself forward as a large chunk of the terrace collapsed beneath his feet, dumping the boiling pool water onto the cooler ground below, completely engulfing the area in a scalding mist, accompanied by a deafening hiss.

Now inside the palace, Alex walked through its empty and eerily quiet halls, wincing as the glass windows along the floor cracked and exploded simultaneously, dumping the suffocating heat into the hall. "Tiberius!?" Alex called, voice raspy, "Athena!? Where are you guys!?"

After several minutes of wandering aimlessly through the vacant halls, Alex finally reached the end of the road: two expensive, heavy oak doors sealed shut against the fiery wind outside. Gathering his strength, Alex rammed into one of the doors, doing this several times before it finally snapped off its hinges and fell inward, revealing a pitch-black room beyond. Entering the encompassing darkness, Alex looked around, asking, "Tiberius? Athena? You in here?"

A low, muffled growl answered his call, and he hurried towards the source of the sound, rounding the corner and finding Tiberius, muzzled and chained to a stockade. "Shit! Tiberius!" Alex exclaimed, rushing to the raptor's side. "Hold on, I'll get you out of here!" the Commander whispered, hurriedly setting to work on the male raptor's binds. Tiberius writhed and tore beneath him, and as Alex loosened the binds, removing the raptor's muzzle, he growled, "No! It's a trap!"

The click of a cocking pistol caused the Commander to stiffen, and he heard Christian speak from behind him, "Stand up!"

Reluctantly, Alex did.

"Hands up! Weapons on the ground!"

Again, Alex did as he was told, preparing to turn.

"Don't turn around! You turn around, I shoot this lovely, pretty face."

Alex's eyes snapped towards a mirror, where he could just barely make out Christian's silhouette, cradling Athena's head. The female raptor was on the ground, unmoving, and one quick glance towards Tiberius showed Alex a softer side of the male raptor than he thought was ever capable. A look of worry, pain, and most prominently _terror_ hanged over Tiberius, and the Commander wanted nothing more than to help.

"Did you _really_ just think you could come here, burn my town to the ground, and expect _me_ to stand by while you took my little lovelies away?" Christian replied, gently stroking Athena's snout. The female raptor weakly flinched away from his touch, but was unable to resist for long.

"You're sick," Alex grimaced, "You disgust me, fucking retard."

"I AM NOT _RETARDED!_ " Christian screeched, " _YOU_ are the retard! Not me! And I'm no more sick than _you,_ Mister 'I have sex with everything'! I've had enough! I've had enough of _you_ , I've had enough of your friends, and I've had enough of you _ALWAYS_ making my life miserable! I can never be happy because of _YOU!_ People like you ruin everything! People like _you_ sleep well at night hurting people like _me_. You get off to making people like _me_ suffer! Well not anymore! This time, the shoe's on the other foot! And like you took everything from _me_ , _I'm_ going to take everything from _you_!"

Here, Alex felt his fury swell, and baring his teeth in disgust, he violently twisted around, balling his hands into a fist and clocking the fat man across the cheek. Christian stumbled back, but Alex was immediately upon him again, straddling him and beating him relentlessly and repeatedly. While Alex relished in the joy of the man's bones cracking and breaking beneath his knuckles, Christian's screams devolved into tears, and before too long, his face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition. The Commander grabbed him by the throat, standing upright and throwing the fat man as far across the room as he could. While Christian struggled to stand up, Alex grabbed him by the throat once again, pinning him against the wall and closing his grip over the man's throat, grinning in sadistic pleasure as the man's throat bobbed and struggled to open beneath his grip.

"S...Stop!" Christian managed through choking tears, "P...please!"

Before he could snap the fat man's neck like a brittle twig, he felt a firm, icy hand grab his shoulder, violently pulling him away. The Commander turned towards his attacker, seeing Sonichu standing behind him, wearing an unreadable expression. Before he could respond, Sonichu grabbed _Alex_ by the throat, chucking him across the room. Alex hit the ground painfully, sliding into a hole that had appeared when the middle of the room had collapsed in on itself sometime earlier. Alex barely managed to grab onto the edge of the bedroom floor, keeping himself from falling down. On the floor directly beneath him, several raptors leaped into the air, snapping towards the dangling Commander like a worm on a hook. Breathing heavily, Alex glanced down to see the hungry raptors taking turns trying to jump and grab him. Sweating profusely from nerves now more than heat, his eyes snapped up once again, and he tried to grab onto the floor with his bionic hand, briefly crying out when his crumbled beneath him and fell to the ground beneath him, raining several large chunks of concrete flooring onto the snout of one of the raptors, surprising the creature.

The Commander watched as Sonichu, lowering his head, vanished into thin air in a flash of electricity. Soon after, a grim chuckle filled the air, and Alex watched as a bloodied and bruised Christian strolled confidently over to where Alex hung. "You know, it's cute. You tried to bust in here, be a big damn hero to these lovely creatures...and all you succeeded in doing was make yourself look like an idiot."

"Let me get back up there, we'll fight on even ground, and we'll see who the _real_ idiot is!"

"Oh, such big, macho words from someone who knows that they're witnessing their last minutes of life."

"Oh for God's sake, just shut up already!" Alex snarled, "You're not threatening, you're not scary. You're fucking pathetic, a wimp, incapable of doing _anything_ by yourself. Hell, you make your _boyfriend_ do all the work for you!"

"He is NOT! MY! _BOYFRIEND_!" Christian howled, "HOW many _TIMES_ do I have to _TELL_ you that!"

Shortly after, Christian's cool returned, and he crouched towards the edge, smiling arrogantly towards the dangling Commander, his grip slowly weakening.

"I'm not scared of you. _NOBODY_ is scared of you."

"Prove it!"

"I don't have to prove anything! I'm _always_ right! I've always _been_ right! That's why _I'm_ going to walk out of here and rebuild, while _you_ become raptor chow. Pretty soon, I'll squash your army in the palm of my hand, that pretty girl you hang around with will be mine, and you will be nothing more than a stain on human history. Forgotten like the rest of you psychotic creeps!"

"Look who's talking!"

Christian then stomped on Alex's hand, and the Commander hissed, struggling to find a grip, "Any last words, freak?"

Off to the side, Alex could just barely make out the silhouette of Athena, glaring towards the distracted Christian, having not noticed her presence. A low growl suddenly sounded, and the Commander said, "Actually, yes I do..." then, with a grin, he added, "Sic 'em!"

Suddenly, the hidden raptor lunged out of the darkness, tackling Christian to the ground. He screamed beneath the vengeful beast, and Alex took this opportunity to scramble back onto the ledge, watching in shock as _Tiberius_ proved to be the attacker, not his sister. The male raptor's jaws closed towards Christian, but he held an arm against the beast, lodging it in the dinosaur's mouth. The fat man kicked the beast to dislodge it, clutching his limp, bleeding arm and crying as he ran deeper into the room, Tiberius hot on his heels. Christian threw open the frosted glass, closet door throwing himself inside and violently slamming the door shut, "Stay back!" he cried, "I'm warning you! Don't come any closer!"

Tiberius stepped back, running towards the door and slamming into it, breaking a hole into the wood enough to fit his jaws into. Christian, cowering in his corner, kicked at the raptor's mouth, and Tiberius pulled away, slipping one paw into the door and tearing it from his hinges. Christian laid back, cowering against the wall, and Tiberius stood firmly before him, licking his chops.

"P...Please! Nice raptor! Nice raptor! I'll give you a treat if you don't eat me!"

Behind the male raptor, Athena limped over, and casting a glance back to his sister, _both_ raptors turned towards the terrified man.

"No! No, no, no, no! Don't please! NO!"

But without another moment's hesitation, both raptors pounced upon the fat man, screaming in agony beneath the beasts before his screams cut short and blood splattered on the frosted glass door, averting Alex's gaze. Weakly, Alex stood up, walking towards the corner where Tiberius had been kept before pressing his back against it, sliding down to a sitting position and laying his head back, squeezing his eyes shut, attempting to calm his nerves.

He heard slight movement, and before too long, something wet, shooting small, warm puffs of air, lifted his hand onto it, and the Commander glanced down to see Athena laying down, her bloody head resting on Alex's head, his hand on the top of her head. Alex affectionately scratched her scaly head, and he glanced forward to see Tiberius cautiously approach him, "Where are the others?" Tiberius asked.

"Long gone."

"You saved us alone?"

"You're my kids," Alex replied, "I'm just sorry I couldn't come sooner...a lot of shit has been going on lately, and a lot of shit has changed since you guys were last with us..." then, after a few seconds of staring off with the male raptor, "You saved _me_?"

"You're my father," Tiberius replied with a snort, and the Commander grinned widely, leaning back with a light laugh, "There...there it is...was it really so hard?"

"More than you can imagine," Tiberius replied, casting him a slight, subtle grin.

Slowly picking himself up, Alex gently pat Tiberius' blood-soaked snout, saying, "We can't stay here. This entire city is burning to the ground, and if we don't get out of here soon, we'll be swallowed with it..." and his eyes snapped towards an expensive, custom guitar leaning against the wall. He picked it up, examining it for damage before tossing the strap over his shoulder, settling it in place.

Tiberius nodded, "Climb onto my back..." then to Athena, "Sister, can you walk?"

She replied, weakly standing on unsteady legs, "Yes..."

"She's hurt," Tiberius continued, "That human hurt her repeatedly...I could do nothing but watch...we need to get her help. I fear that her life is wavering."

"We'll get you out of here..." Alex turned to Athena, " _All_ of us..." and as he climbed onto Tiberius' back, he continued, "Though I need to tell you both something, Ruby has...changed. She's a human now, and you have a baby brother."

"We'll discuss this later," Tiberius replied, "Come, Sister, let's go."

The two raptors started moving slowly, Tiberius keeping Athena ahead of him, as they ran out of the room and down the hall once again. Part of the wall had given away, revealing an industrial kitchen on the other side of the ring of fire. Tiberius and Athena leaped through the breach, Alex clinging to the male raptor's neck as they began to pick up speed. The floor crumbled and collapsed beneath them, fires flared and snapped towards them, and debris rained down on them from the ceiling, barely standing. Using whatever shortcuts they could, the small group raced through the palace, down through ten floors and eventually into the grand hall. Leaping down the marble stairs and onto the marble floors, Tiberius and Athena raced through the burning pillars before crashing through one of the thirty foot windows adjacent to the entrance doors. Now on the lawn, they encountered some resistance from the few-remaining living defenders, but the raptors evaded their attacks, running through the burned, wooden gate leading out of the compound and into the rest of the city. Grabbing the assault rifle he had looted earlier, up until now hanging on his shoulder, Alex paused Tiberius for a few moments to retrieve some ammo before they continued on, the Commander defending the party against the _Perditus_ raptors after them. Before too long, the remains of the city walls were in sight, and Tiberius and Athena leaped through the breach, back out into the clearing that encircled New Babylon. While the raptors raced towards where Alex Company was taking shelter with the rest of the invasion party, Alex cut down any of the raptors that broke free of the city limits and tried to chase them into the wilderness.

Before too long, Tiberius and Athena slowed to a trot, the female raptor noticeably weaker and on the verge of collapsing. Upon reuniting with the rest of the invasion force, Alex quickly dismounted, patting Tiberius affectionately before pointing him to where Ruby stood, holding Gabriel. Following this, the Commander hurried to Athena's side, catching her just before she collapsed to the ground. He gently lowered her down, kneeling before her and summoning Fox over. In addition to bruising and lacerations around her cloaca, one of her forelimbs and several of her ribs were broken, her breathing was shallow and liquid, and her jaw and teeth were cracked in several places, although whether from her aggressive feasting earlier or abuse was uncertain.

"Is there anything you can do for her?" Tiberius asked.

"Well, I can surely try anyway...but there's no way she can go into combat...I wouldn't even suggest moving her until she's healed."

"We can't just _stay_ here," Zinnia said, "Vergil's almost _surely_ going to hear about this, and the longer we wait, the more time he has to prepare for our attack."

"Well...I got an idea," Rocket said, and Alex turned to watch Alpha Company part to the side as Rocket and Scarlet approached, "We'll take her and Fox onto the _Titan_...the thing flies smooth, you won't be able to feel any turbulence or combat. You can take care of her there. You'll probably wanna keep it back anyway, cause I don't imagine you'll want us shooting up New Alexandria."

"Good idea," Alex replied, then to Tiberius, "Go with them, your sister needs you there for her."

The male raptor only nodded, walking over to where Fox crouched beside the semiconscious Athena.

"We ready to go now?" Zinnia began, "Since we got your kids and that city is burning like the fires of Hell?"

"Yes...and thank you," Alex replied.

The French girl grinned, "Don't thank me, thank Cynder..." and she turned to face the rest of the invasion party, "All right! Next stop is New Alexandria! Let's move out! We don't have time to waste!"


	46. Chapter XLV: Rapture

_**Chapter XLV**_ **:**

 **-''Liberation, Pt. I: Rapture''-**

 **-Outside New Alexandria, Montana-**

 **- _15 March 2017_ -**

 **- _2128 Hours_ -**

"There is is..." Cynder said, stirring the Commander, who had been drifting off on her back. Upon seeing the ruins of the city walls, Alex could feel a sense of dread, longing, and unhappiness. Even though the Burned Lands were being reclaimed by nature, five years after the fall of the _Fiernes Curtain_ , New Alexandria was a dark, black spot in the greening field, where not a single light shined.

"Power's out," Alex replied, "Wonder how long..."

"Gonna need to go grocery shopping," the dragoness chuckled, " _I'm_ not cleaning out the fridge."

"Whole town, stores included, are gonna have to go grocery shopping..." then, "Lower altitude, we're in range of the Sentinels."

"Surely they're offline."

"They operate on a separate power grid than the rest of the city, off generators equipped to run for seven years in the event of an extended, nationwide power loss. They're still online, hard telling if Vergil's _done_ anything to them."

"Wouldn't you need a team to maintain the generators? Refueling them and whatnot."

The Commander shook his head.

Cynder sighed, "Fair enough," and she lower her altitude, landing on a hill three miles outside of the city, overlooking the Burned Lands. The rest of the invasion party raced in to join her, killing the engines on their machines and depositing their crews.

"Jeez...it looks so lonely," Spyro frowned.

"Home again," Alex said with a smile. Ruby shyly approached, standing by his side, and he threw an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. When he saw Zinnia—whostood to his other side, sitting upon Dash's back with 'Necro'—he noticed she seemed upset, and he asked, "Everything okay?"

"Fine..." she replied, distracted, "I just hope everyone's still alive. Vergil worked us to the bone, building machines of war or maintaining his army. An unfortunate few he enslaved and forced to become his servants...I was one of the few left to rot in a prison cell. For months, I lived in complete and total isolation, locked in Solitary in the penitentiary near Anderson Airfield, I don't know if _anyone_ is alive or dead...I haven't seen them since before the siege."

"We'll take the city back," Ruby reassured.

"Maybe," Zinnia replied, "But many of the familiar faces we know and love may be gone."

"Lucy is still in there?" 'Necro' growled.

"Yes," Zinnia answered, "Last I saw her, Vergil had her in chains and was dragging her to his castle. I don't know what he did with her."

"Let me disembowel this monster."

"You'll have your hot, 'Necro'," Alex replied, "After we get _ours_ first."

"My name is John," 'Necro' replied, "If you're going to call me anything...don't demean me by pretending that I was never a person, only a soldier."

"What are you going on about?" Terrias asked.

"Be nice," Alex replied.

"You said Vergil had a castle?" the servine continued, addressing Zinnia, "Where the hell did he get a _castle_?"

"A floating castle..." Zinnia pointed towards the sky, where they could see a dark silhouette in the center of a vortex of rotating clouds, occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning coming from the eye of the unmoving eye.

"Living in the middle of a friggin' tornado, bet that's a prime piece of a real estate," Rocket snorted.

"How the hell did he _make_ a floating castle?" Dash asked.

"He tore the city walls from the ground and built the castle from them," Zinnia replied.

"Any idea how we're going to get up there?" Sapphire asked.

"We'll worry about that once we liberate the rest of the city."

"When do we attack?" Ember asked.

"We strike at dawn," Alex replied, "Let's make camp and rest for the night."

While Alex sat down at the edge of camp, leaning against the side of a cliff and strumming at the acoustic guitar he had looted from New Babylon, Rocket and Scarlet walked over, calling him. "What do you guys got?" he asked, not looking up from the instrument.

"Finally finished those bullets," the raccoon replied, "Let's hope this gunpowder mixture works against him."

"It should...Sam insisted that we could use Akumi's blood to at least _weaken_ Vergil and _Filios Diaboli_. If anything, these things can kill those shadow-demons."

"Yeah, well forgive me for not trusting _everything_ that Sam says."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothin' really. I just don't like new people."

"Neither do I, but I gave _you_ a chance, didn't I?"

"Ohoho... _touch_ _é_ ," and he dropped an ammunition box before the Commander's feet, "Here's your friggin' bullets, now you can save the rest of those incendiary rounds for a rainy day," but he said this with light humor, and after casting Alex a sly grin, he turned and rejoined the rest of the party.

As the invasion party finished eating supper, Alex once again picked up the guitar, eyes focusing on Ruby, who lay curled up against a boulder, cradling and playing with Gabriel. Tiberius and Athena lay around her, unsure of how to feel about their baby brother and their mother's new form. Recalling a few songs that he longed to hear again once they recaptured New Alexandria, the Commander began strumming the first few notes of Journey's _Faithfully_ , instantly attracting the attention of the bored and tired soldiers. As he sang, Ruby smiled warmly towards him, Spyro and Cynder exchanged loving glances before tangling together, and Terrias and Aria curled together with their sleeping son, the latter caressing her belly before Terrias placed one three-fingered paw upon hers.

After concluding the song, he played a few other pieces as the camp settled themselves, getting comfortable and beginning to drift off, wanting to rest as much as they could before the battle the next morning. At last, Alex set the guitar down, leaning against the boulder he had spent all night on, pulling up his sleeping back to cover his chest as the bitterly cold, winter winds passed through the Burned Lands, washing over the sleepy army. He leaned his head back, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for sleep to come over him...but it continued to evade him. For an hour he lay there, shivering against the wind, too anxious and worried for the upcoming battle to relax enough for the calming embrace of sleep. When he finally began to doze, he was startled awake by Ruby softly whispering to him, "Hey...are you awake?"

"I am now..." he whispered back, opening his eyes and sitting up to see Ruby, having set Gabriel down nearby, quietly scooting over to his side.

"Sorry," she replied, "I'll leave you alone..."

"No, it's fine..." then, "What's wrong? Everything okay?"

"I'm worried...and a little scared."

"Why?"

"Because of what's going to happen tomorrow. Are you _sure_ we stand a chance against _Filios Diaboli_?"

"The best chance we have, Ruby."

"I suppose..." she frowned towards Gabriel, Athena, and Tiberius, all sleeping in a bundle together, "I'm scared of losing our family."

"Hang back with Gabriel...we need all the help we can get, so I can't ask you _not_ to participate, but if you stay further back, away from the frontlines, you can provide us with support at least."

She nodded, "Okay...that's fair..." and silence fell between them for several minutes. Without the lights of the city, they could see every star in the cloudless sky above. The waxing crescent moon was a mere sliver of white in the skies, barely providing any light at all. They pressed together for warmth, Alex sharing his sleeping bag with her, and the girl suddenly asked, "Do you think...I made a mistake?"

"What mistake?"

She frowned towards him, "Becoming human...especially since you and Zinnia are gonna get married pretty soon. I just...I feel like I messed up...that I threw away everything for nothing."

"No, you didn't screw up."

"Then why do I feel like I did?"

"Because you're nervous, and your mind is wandering...mine is, too."

"I was foolish...naïve. I don't know why I didn't tell you my plan from the beginning...maybe I would have had a chance, huh?" although she said this with light humor, he could tell by her sad smile and her weak tone of voice that they were deeply held concerns, and she was hoping he wouldn't call her out on it.

"Ruby...I still love you, and there's _still_ a chance for us to be together."

"Don't think that way," she frowned, "You don't want to go into a relationship with those kinds of thoughts...it'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"Ruby, you didn't mess up."

"At least we would have still been able to do _something_ if I would have stayed a dolphin."

Alex silenced her by closing his mouth over hers, and as he broke the kiss, he said, "Who says we can't?"

"Pretty soon you're going to be a married man."

He kissed her again, "But I'm not...at least yet anyway."

She blushed then, looking away nervously, "I'll feel so dirty..." and after a few seconds, she shook her head, "You know what? I don't care...this may very well be the last night we're alive. We're about to run head first into a suicide mission..." and she turned to face him, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

She kissed him this time, "Spend the night with me...this last time? If we die tomorrow, I at least want to die feeling that I didn't throw everything away for nothing."

"It'll hurt."

"I don't care."

"There's a chance I'll get you pregnant now. We won't have protection."

"I don't care..." she smiled, "The thought of being pregnant with your child once again only makes me happier."

He gently pushed her down then, climbing atop her and whispered, stroking her cheek, "Then I will be honored, my love."

"Make me yours again...just like you did all of those years ago."

As they dove into the sleeping bag, undressing each other in the darkness, Alex only said, "I will."

Once they were both completely nude, Alex poked his head out into the cold once again, cradling Ruby's head in his hands and closing his mouth over hers. She slipped him her tongue and he groped her small breasts, giving each a light squeeze before rolling over until she was on top of him. "It'll take awhile to get used to the different anatomy..." she chuckled nervously, "I hope you're not _too_ worried or embarrassed...I'm not a dolphin anymore, so I can't do those things that I used to..."

"Never," he whispered, and she shuddered against his breath in his ear, "Just holding you in my arms like this is enough to make me happy. I just want to know that you love me."

"Always," she smiled, grabbing him and coaxing an erection before pressing the tip against her thighs. Once she was properly lubricated, she slipped him inside of her, only to gasp and quietly whine.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, "It just...it hurts..."

"It will...but soon, it'll feel better, I promise."

After several failed attempts and obstacles to officially begin their session, they finally managed to get her comfortable enough that Alex was able to press himself against the barrier. With a deep sigh, and the girl shivering out of fear, she pulled back and thrusted violently against him, struggling not to scream as he punched through and claimed her maidenhead.

"Shh..." he whispered, stroking her hair as she struggled to hold back tears against the pain, "Take your time, it's okay."

Finally gathering the courage to try again, she struggled to get him hard again, and they once more found themselves fighting to get and stay inside of her, "I don't understand..." the girl frowned, "Why is this so hard?"

"Well...you're my size now...maybe even a little smaller. It'll be a little harder for me to just slide inside like we used to."

"Damn it..." she sighed, "I'm sorry...I feel so embarrassed."

"Hey, don't feel embarrassed," he replied, caressing her cheek, "We knew this was going to happen. Just keep trying, we'll get it done eventually. If it hurts too much, we can stop."

"No," she replied firmly, shaking her head, "I want to feel _full_ again...I won't stop until we do this..."

It took another hour before they finally managed to get into a decent rhythm. When, at last, they were able to enjoy the intimacy between them, Ruby found it nearly impossible to keep from moaning in pleasure, and they both reached their climaxes, she had to bury her head into his chest, pulling the sleeping bag over her head to mute her squeaks, whines, and moans. Finally, the pleasure receded and Ruby pulled away from him, melting into his arms. They lay together, still, staring lovingly into each others eyes in the moonlight, thinking of nothing else but each other, remembering all the times they had spent together. Despite her new form, and their newfound obstacles, it was still the same Ruby that Alex had always known and loved...he could tell in the way she looked at him, he could tell by the caliber of the love in her sparkling blue eyes as she stared into his, and for this, he was happy. She would make a great wife, and he couldn't wait to carry her to the altar, to proclaim his love to her, and he couldn't wait for their union in the eyes of God and their peers.

"I love you," she whispered to him.

He parted the hair from her eyes, kissing her forehead, "I love you, too, Ruby...get some sleep, okay?"

She nodded, "You, too..." and with the girl burying her head in his chest, they both drifted off soon after.

The next morning, as the dreary, overcast day slowly brightened, Alex sat on a ledge overlooking the Burned Lands, filling his magazines with Rocket's special bullets, a cigarette smoldering the corner of his mouth. Blake perched on his shoulder, cocking her head to the side, intrigued by what her master was doing, "You absolutely sure these things will work?" the Commander asked.

"Tech is one thing you should _never_ question me about," Rocket scowled, also loading his magazines. They were both on guard duty, the only two up on the ledge overlooking the camp below and he dark city in the distance, "They'll work, I filled a bunch of old casings with those things."

"Okay, okay...I'm just making sure...don't want these things blowing up in my face."

"They won't, I pinkie-swear promise."

"Change of plans," Zinnia said, approaching them, "There are resistance forces in the city. We've been tasked with finding and meeting them first."

"Says who?" Rocket spat.

"Says me. A courier sent by them came by today, said we were being expected."

"How the fuck do they know we're here?" Alex asked, "Was the courier followed?"

"The kid didn't say," Zinnia replied, "He just handed me a letter and went about his merry way. I'm going to assume their patrols found us."

"Great, so how do we know Vergil hasn't?" Rocket asked.

"We don't," Zinnia frowned, "But I'm choosing to remain hopeful."

"And then we walk right into a fucking trap," Alex spat.

"Stay optimistic."

"So this kid didn't say anything?" Alex sighed.

"No...he was a young guy...maybe eight or nine."

"They're getting younger and younger," the Commander smirked.

"Says the former child soldier."

Alex shrugged, " _Touch_ _é_."

"Anyway, we're attacking in an hour...everybody ready?"

"As far as I'm concerned," Alex replied, finally loading the last of his magazines and jamming it into his red-camouflaged AK47, hanging the weapon's strap over his shoulder.

"Awesome, we have our final briefing in half an hour, make sure you're there."

"Don't worry, we'll be there," Rocket sighed in exasperation.

"Good, see you then," and Zinnia headed back down the mountain, rejoining the rest of the invasion party.

Rocket shook his head, "Your girlfriend is ridiculous. Too strict for my tastes...hope she ain't that way in bed, else I feel sorry for you."

"Well, she ain't got nothing on General Elliot," Alex replied, "You shoulda seen how _he_ was."

"I don't think I want to," Rocket replied, "I happen to like our lax rules."

"Ready for the fight?"

"Hell yeah, can't wait to fill that bastard full of lead."

"Get in line."

"Hell you talkin' about? I'm right behind you. Permission to have the killing blow, Commander?"

"Permission denied, that's _my_ privilege."

"Screw you., Alex."

Alex nervously glanced to his right. Up against the mountain face, across from him, the sheathed _Bloodreaver_ lay. He had made sure to keep the cursed sword as far away from him as possible, leaving it up here instead of down in the camp a hundred feet below.

"Ready to carry that thing into battle?" Rocket taunted, smirking.

"Fuck no," the Commander grimaced, turning his attention to his Desert Eagle's empty magazines.

Finally, the duo headed back down the mountain to rejoin the rest of the invasion party. Upon passing through the perimeter into the camp, Ruby, who was talking to Dash, Eli, and Sapphire at the side of the entrance, smiled warmly and knowingly towards Alex, who only returned the grin, continuing on towards the center of the camp, where Zinnia and Akumi were rounding up the soldiers, trying to bring order to the bloodthirsty crowd. Rocket split from him as they neared the group, joining Scarlet and chatting with her while the two wandered off. Off to the side and away from the group, Azazel, Raphael, Terra, Tiberius, and a weak-but-conscious Athena played together while Kira watched nearby, bottle-feeding Gabriel and chatting with Ember, Aria, and Necrodusk, who watched with her. The Commander frowned, hoping Zinnia didn't send the young onesinto battle, too. With a screech, Blake furiously took off from her perch on Alex's shoulder, gliding across the clearing and settling on _Necrodusk_ 's shoulder. The reformed demon, petting the eagle, nodded towards Alex, who nodded in return, neither saying anything, before he returned to his conversation. To the other side of the crowd, also away from them, Rapid and Jazz conversed with Spyro and Cynder, with Nick sitting on a stump near them, polishing _Soulreaper_ 's bright blue, crystalline blade. Only Jazz noticed the Commander's presence, nodding towards him, and Alex briefly raised his bionic arm in greeting towards the rabbit, still continuing forward.

Upon finally reaching the crowd, Alex stood at the back, standing beside Terrias, who affectionately pat his friend on the back, grabbing his shoulder and half-hugging him, "Ready to fuck up Vergil's day?"

"More than ready," the Commander replied.

"Rah," the servine replied, glancing forward as Zinnia finally managed to hush the crowd, inviting the various small, conversing groups dotting around the camp to join the briefing.

"I said it to a couple of people earlier," Zinnia began, "But we've had a slight change of plans. We have resistance forces living in the bowels of abandoned factory in the Industrial District. We're to meet with them before we initiate the counterattack."

"You're not going to let the kids near that city, are you?" a voice emerged from the crowd, taking Alex's words out of his mouth.

"No," Zinnia responded, "And I was just going to get to that...Ruby, Akumi, and Ember, the three of you are going to stay here with the children. We'll come get you when the battle is over and it's safe to return."

"Wait...I can't just stay back while everybody is out there!" Ruby protested.

"We need Ember, probably Azazel as well," Necrodusk added.

"Ruby, you stay back," Zinnia sighed, "Necro? I suppose they can come...Kira, would you mind staying back in their place?"

"We can hold things by ourselves," Akumi replied, "Don't worry about us."

"Very well then..." and briefly glancing towards the dark city, Zinnia turned towards the invasion party once more, "All right...let's go."

While the invasion party held back, Alpha Company separated into teams, taking differing routes to the factory where they were to rendezvous with the resistance. Alex's heart sank as they climbed over the remains of the walls and into the Southern Agricultural District, the houses now piles of charred wood, the fields trampled and overgrown with weeds. An air of overwhelming loneliness lingered around New Alexandria, saturating the air, and Alex couldn't help but to feel saddened by this. The once great city was now a shell of its former self, empty and ruined. Very rarely they would stumble upon a lone, weathered shadow-knight or thrall stumbling aimlessly around with no clear objective or destination, but these were easy enough to avoid. Before too long, they crossed the foggy suspension bridge, full of holes and destroyed husks of cars, over the river and onto the island upon which the city proper sat. Many of the buildings in the Southern Business District were shelled and abandoned, not a single light shined over the dark, battle-worn cityscape, and it appeared as if no lights _had_ since the day the city was occupied.

"Jesus, this is heartbreaking..." Cynder lamented, skirting a pile of long-charred skeletons, "All these people...is there anyone still alive?"

"Most of the city fled when they had the chance," Zinnia began, "Most of those who couldn't were captured by Vergil...and the ones left unaccounted for...well..." she nodded towards the pile, "Here they are."

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Spyro hissed.

"Get in line, mate," Alex, riding atop Cynder, replied.

"It's too quiet," Terrias frowned, "I don't like it."

"It's probably too quiet because everyone is dead," Ember scowled, continuing forward.

"Or there's a trap waiting for us," the servine countered, irritated.

"Doubt it," Zinnia replied, "Vergil's too arrogant to be expecting anything from us."

"We don't know that."

"We can assume so."

"Yeah, well assumptions will get us all killed."

"Terrias, Zinnia, stop fighting," Alex interrupted, "Save it for Vergil."

"We're not fighting," the servine grunted, "Merely talking."

Alpha Company quietly crawled beneath the cracked-open loading door within the factory's loading yard, slipping into the looted storeroom beyond. With the blink of an eye, the unit activated their mutation-granted night vision, giving their eyes a glow like that of a cat's catching the moonlight, and holding the sights of their weapons to their eyes, they quietly shuffled forward into the darkness. "Check your corners," Zinnia said, "Try to look for the more obscure places...places where they can stay out of sight while simultaneously keeping an eye on their surroundings...odds are that's where they're hiding."

Suddenly a young boy's voice called out, "Hi there!"

Instantly, all weapons were trained on the boy, who instantly recoiled, "Oh...uh...easy guys! We're on your side!" then, "You're Alpha Company right?" it was then that he entered the dismal light shining through the broken windows hugging the ceiling, revealing a pale boy with short, silver-white hair, dark, maroon eyes, glasses, and wearing the remains of what appeared to be a school uniform.

"Who the hell are you?" Alex asked.

"This is the messenger boy," Zinnia said, "You're with the resistance?"

"Yup!" he replied cheerily, "Follow me, I'll take you to them."

As they walked through the factory ruins, the boy continued, "I guess this used to be a weapons production factory during the Second American Civil War before inflation and the economy shut it down...at least, that's what the Julie says..." and upon noticing their confusion, he added, "Julie is the head of the resistance, you'll meet her when we get there."

"How old are you kid?" Alex asked.

"Eight," he replied, "Name's Kiyoshi, it's nice to meetcha!"

"You Japanese?"

"My parents..." and his voice wavered a bit before he continued, "They immigrated here from Tokyo...four years ago, I think? Anyway, Dad got a job working in this very same factory until it shut down."

"Wonder why they chose to move to New Alexandria during the height of the war."

"I don't know, they said that this was the safest city in the country at the time, and they didn't believe you were as bad as the rest of the world thought."

"How did a kid like you get into the resistance?" Terrias snickered, only to be elbowed by Alex.

Kiyoshi sighed, "When the city was taken over by that monster, he captured my parents. They were taken away, I don't know where, and when Julie found me living on the streets, she said that we would work together to take him down and rescue Mom and Dad. She's been taking care of me since, and although the work can be kinda hard sometimes, life's been as good as it can be, I guess. Oh! We're almost there, should be in this room up ahead!" and Kiyoshi hurried forward, standing in the doorway of a dark room, blockaded by a desk and several cabinet and waving towards them. As Alpha Company approached, he quickly scampered over the furniture and disappeared somewhere beyond, landing with a loud sigh and running off.

"Just _looking_ at that kid's making me tired," Terrias smirked.

"Gotta lot of energy," Alex replied.

"He's young, as he gets older it'll start burning out," Zinnia responded, offering to be the first to clumsily crawl over the barrier while the rest stood guard.

One by one, the rest of Alpha Company made their way around the barrier, landing in a dark, hot, musty room that, even with their night vision, was nearly impossible to see in. Alex took a few steps forward before a bright beaming light shined directly into his eyes, blinding him. Several more lights flickered on, blinding the entire group, and a tough, female voice barked, "Identify yourselves!"

"Jesus, lady!" Alex scowled, "We're Alpha Company! We're here to help!"

"Proof?"

"What proof can I give you?"

"Prick him!" the female voice hissed, and almost immediately after, Alex felt a sharp, searing pain tear through his arm, causing him to emit a pained exclamation and immediately grab for the bleeding cut.

"Blood," a male voice replied, "He ain't one of those demons."

"Listen to me," the female voice ordered, who Alex assumed was this 'Julie' that the boy had mentioned earlier, "You will follow my light and we will keep an eye on you the whole way. We have N.V.G's, and if you step out of line, you're dead where you stand, got it?"

"Okay! Okay! I get it!" Alex spat.

"Good, now let's go, and stay quiet!"

"Tell your friend that," Terrias grunted, "That boy's voice carries, I'm surprised nobody has found you yet."

"Damn it Kiyoshi..." the female whispered, almost too quietly to be heard before she spoke up again, "I said _shut up_ and follow me, goddammit!"

Alpha Company was escorted through the dark room and back into what used to be the offices. A gaping hole in the ceiling provided natural light into the building, and puddles of rainwater filled small holes in the floor around the room. All windows and doors had been blockaded, and large pieces of torn, stained cloth dangled from the ceiling like tarps stretched over the camp to protect it from rain and snow. Men, women, and children clad in ragged, well-worn, and dirty clothes stood around the camp, staring at the new arrivals with distrustful looks, cots and makeshift chests dotted the room as well. To the left of the door, two resistance members stood behind a makeshift counter, with stacks upon stacks of varying weapons and ammunition around them. To the right was an infirmary, where doctors and nurses tended to wounded members. In the center of the room, the floor had been busted out and a deep hole had been dug out, where a roaring fire cooked meat and soup for the day's breakfast. The only access to the outside led to a small garden, surrounded by several a makeshift fence created from various debris, and covered by a gray-dyed sheet.

"Looks like you guys are pretty well off," Alex said.

"We're getting by," the woman who had escorted them replied, turning off her shotgun-mounted flashlight. She was middle-aged, with dirty blonde hair tied into a bun behind her head, and wearing a red and white do-rag, "So you're the _legendary_ Alpha Company, huh?" she smirked.

"Indeed we are, ma'am," Zinnia replied with a nod.

"Don't tell me you're all we have for support here."

"We have a moderately-sized invasion force that are ready for battle and waiting only for your word."

"How many?"

"Eight hundred to a thousand, more-or-less."

"Jesus...that won't be enough."

"With all due respect," Alex replied, "Don't underestimate us and what we're capable of...Alpha is the most powerful unit in the world."

"Do they at least know how to wield modern weaponry?"

"They're from Tamriel and Rune, the two nations in the middle of modernization, so they should, yes."

"Good...let's get moving then, we're burning sunlight."

"What's the plan?" Zinnia asked.

"The plan? Honey, the plan is simple enough, we're going to take back this goddamn city, and beat the living shit out of the demon that took it. Now let's move!"

While the resistance armed themselves and regrouped inside the factory's main production area, Alex called in the rest of the invasion force waiting outside the city, relaying the orders set by the resistance and informing them of the rendezvous point—Town Square, almost directly beneath Vergil's floating castle. After letting Ruby know that he was okay, and checking to make sure _she_ was safe, too, Alex rejoined the rest of the resistance, finding Zinnia waiting nearby, "Is she okay?"

"Fine," Alex replied.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

"I will be...once all this bullshit is over with."

"Listen, I wanted to apologize for doubting you about Tiberius and Athena...I didn't realize just how bad they were off."

"It's fine," Alex replied, "They're safe, and they're alive...and that's all that matters. I understand why you were concerned about it...we really _don't_ have that many men to expend. If I could, I _would_ have waited but..." he shook his head, "Any longer and Athena wouldn't have survived, I'm pretty sure about that. Best part of everything, that fat fuck is dead, his army and town are destroyed, and even though Sonichu got out of there, hopefully he's long gone by now."

"Maybe he didn't," Zinnia grinned, "Maybe karma caught up to him anyway."

"Hope so, but I'm not going to worry about it. Right now, we need to stop Vergil...I just hope we can pull it off."

"We will. Have a little faith."

"Hard to have a little faith when currently every celestial being has it out for our asses right now."

"Stop pissing off the Powers That Be then," she grinned.

"Noted," he replied with a light chuckle.

"So...Kiyoshi's kinda cute, huh?"

"You better not be thinking what I _think_ you're thinking. He's _way_ too young for you."

"No, I'm not _that_ bad," Zinnia laughed, "At least...not anymore. I just think he's a cutie, he's so outgoing and happy. You don't see that much anymore."

"Not surprised, look how fucked the world is right now," Alex responded, lighting a cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

"He might be someone handy to keep around...help lift the gloomy atmosphere around here. I'm sure Ruby would benefit from it."

"Pretty sure we'll see a vast improvement in Ruby's mood once we're married."

"Maybe you can adopt him. If not, I want to."

"He has parents, Zinnia."

"His parents were taken by Vergil months ago...do you _really_ think they're still alive?"

"He seems hopeful."

"I can already tell he's an optimist. Unfortunately, once we either find their bodies or take down Vergil and they're nowhere in sight, I'm worried he won't be able to take it."

"You said he's an optimist."

"Yes, but that can always change if something bad happens. He's too sweet to be sent to some orphanage somewhere, and Julie is a bitch."

"Chill out, Zinnia, we'll get there when we get there."

"I suppose so."

Silence for a few minutes before Alex said, "So, you and Akumi becoming a thing? Never thought you'd have a taste for female flesh...although I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Put it back in your pants, Alex," Zinnia grinned, "I like her personality."

"But you're a couple, right?"

She shrugged, "Maybe someday. She's talked about become more than friends...maybe when she gets a little older though."

"Glad to see you recover from this breakup so fast."

"Can't really break up when there was nothing really there to begin with," Zinnia sighed, "I mean, let's be honest, from the day we first talked about marriage, the point was always to let you and Ruby remain together without scrutiny by the rest of the world. There was nothing there between us...there hasn't been since I was LKA."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged, "What are you sorry about? I'm not mad, I'm not upset," she clapped him on the back, hugging him tightly, "This was the plan from the start, it's just had a slight makeover. There's no hard feelings."

"You sure?"

"Plenty sure."

The squeaking of the loading doors startled them both, and they looked up to see the resistance slipping outside.

"Guess it's time to go," Zinnia replied, standing up and extending a hand.

Alex accepted her offer, standing upright, picking up his weapon, and running to catch up to the others, Zinnia following behind him. "Are your men on their way?" Julie asked.

"Yes they are," Alex responded.

"Good, the closer we draw towards Town Center, the more resistance we can expect to encounter. The plan is to liberate the surrounding districts first, we'll encircle Town Center and move in shortly after. Once Town Center is released from the demon's control, we will rendezvous in the plaza and prepare for the final assault against that demon's castle."

"Any plan how to get up there?" Zinnia asked.

"That will primarily be the responsibility of the Commander's Wing. We'll hold the rest of the plaza while you head on up to the castle."

"Rog..." Alex sighed, "So where do we start?"

"There isn't much occupation here in the Industrial District, we'll begin here and advance in a clockwise motion around Town Center. Hopefully you're men can help liberate and then hold the acquired districts to ensure the demon doesn't recapture them."

Alpha Company divided into two teams then, with one team heading back to aid the liberation force, while the second team chose to help the resistance. As the resistance moved through the broken, abandoned streets, they encountered the first groups of _Filios Diaboli_ shadow-knights, crawling out of the ground and sprinting at unnatural speeds towards the resistance. Wanting to conserve his ammunition for tougher foes, Alex relied on his pyrokinesis to cut them down, carving a path with the support of Spyro and Cynder, circling in the skies above.

Before too long, more shadow-knights joined in on the fray, these ones clad in coal-like, stone armor and wielding simplistic, stone weapons. With a hellish, maddened scream, thralls charged out of the ruined buildings, and the resistance from Vergil's forces became too much to handle alone. With Spyro and Cynder still providing aerial support with their fire breaths, Alex began to shoot down anyone who escaped the dragons' grasp with short, controlled bursts of his AK47, ensuring that every shot counted. Upon establishing a proper hold on the Manufacturing District, A few members of Alex's team split off to remain with a chunk of resistance that were designated to stay and hold the district. The Industrial District under control, the remaining forces moved north to the Market District, doing the same thing once again.

Even though concentration of Vergil's forces did increase slightly, it was still deceptively easy to repel and hold them back, worrying Alex greatly. It shouldn't have been this easy, it couldn't be. By the time they had cleared the Market District, moving through the Residential and Military Districts to find themselves near Town Center, Alex was greatly alarmed at the ease they were capturing districts with minimal casualties. They had also ran into few, if any, of the men and women that Vergil had captured following the occupation of New Alexandria, meaning that either the prisoners were somewhere else, or Vergil had executed everyone who couldn't get away from the city during his attack the previous year. More disappointingly, the closer they drew to Town Center, the more disheartened Kiyoshi seemed to appear. He still seemed to remain hopeful, but he had long-since fallen silent and wore a saddened expression.

"We're at Town Center," Zinnia said, calling the rest of the liberation force, "Where's everyone at?"

"On our way to Town Center as we speak," Jazz responded, "E.T.A five mikes. How's it look out there?"

"It's empty and quiet...Vergil must be planning something huge, we haven't encountered much resistance at all."

"We've run into a few problems, but they weren't too terribly difficult to take care of, I _did_ expect more resistance from him."

"You think he's setting a trap?"

"I'm sure he is...just be aware of your surroundings, keep your guard up, and be ready for anything. We'll be there soon, out."

"What are we waiting for?" Julie growled.

"The others to get here," Zinnia replied, "They're on their way, we need to have everyone here if we hope to avoid whatever trap Vergil has set for us."

"Should we bring the other teams here?"

"No, they need to make sure Vergil doesn't try to recapture the districts and encircle us."

Several minutes later, the liberation party arrived to the scene, and after updating each other on casualties and completed objectives—with the liberation party having sustained almost a hundred losses already compared to the resistance's twenty—a loud screeched filled the air, and a powerful gust of wind blew through the plaza, knocking most of the fighters to the ground. Scrambling onto his feet, Alex covered his eyes to see the source of the wind, and his heart sank upon what he saw. Lucy craned her head to the sky, uttering an animalistic howl before the gargoyle swooped down, spewing lightning from her mouth at them.

"Lucy!" 'Necro' roared, covering his face against the wind emerging from her wings, "What are you doing!?" and he instantly turned towards Alex, pouncing upon the Commander and tackling him to the ground, holding the blade of his knife against the young man's throat, "What have you done to her!?"

"I didn't do anything!" Alex snarled, throwing the general off of him and scrambling to his feet, "Vergil must have got to her!"

Another charge from Lucy knocked both of them onto their backs, and they hastily scrambled back up as dozens of shadow-knights crawled out of the ground around them, all lunging towards the group at once.

"I guess we found where the rest of Vergil's army was!" Terrias scowled.

Alex glanced towards 'Necro', who stood fixed in place, staring with his jaw dropped towards Lucy. Even as she charged down to attack, the stunned general remained standing in shocked paralysis before the Commander tackled him to the ground, knocking him out of the way of the electric bolt she fired from her stony mouth.

"What did Vergil _do_ to her!?" Terrias hissed.

"Look at her back!" Jazz roared, and they all watched as she passed by them. As she turned to commence another charge, they could see black, oily masses attached to her back and spreading throughout her body. An idea coming to mind, the Commander fired towards the masses, ordering his comrades to do the same. Instead of blood, a black, syrupy substance shot from the masses, and each strike caused the gargoyle to screech in agony. After emptying his clip into the mass, the pulsating masses exploded and large, writhing, black tentacles slithered out from within, slapping the air.

The more they fired at the masses, the more enraged and unpredictable the gargoyle became, but she didn't seem to be slowing down, and Alex tried to think of a new idea on how to take her down. Suddenly, over the radio, Rocket sighed, "We're moving into position with the _Titan_ , if you can get her to stay still, I'll smack her with the cannon."

"Negative!" Alex roared, "That will kill her!"

"And she'll kill us all unless we do something!"

"You won't kill her!" 'Necro' roared, "I won't let you!"

"You have a better idea? Because I would _love_ to hear it if you do!"

The Commander barely managed to roll out of the way of another suicidal charge by Lucy, who recovered faster than he could and zeroed in on him. "Oh shit!" he hissed, leaping to his feet and running for cover, "Shit! Shit! _SHIT!_ "

From out of nowhere, Cynder rammed into Lucy, sending them both spiraling away. The she-dragon clawed at the enraged gargoyle, instinctively snapping towards the back of her throat. Lucy resisted, however, slowly gaining the advantage over Cynder until the gargoyle was able to easily launch the dragoness away, slamming her into the ground.

"CYNDER!" Alex and Spyro roared in unison, both rushing to her aid, but not before Lucy charged at them again, plowing into Spyro's side and picking Alex up in her maw, sharp teeth biting down on the Commander's torso. He screamed in agony, trying to free himself, but her fangs only tore even deeper into his flesh, and his life flashed before his eyes. This was it...this was how it was going to all end. After everything he had been through, it was going to end here...

"TAKE THIS!" Rocket roared over the radio, and as the _Titan_ appeared over the horizon, the charging Reaper cannon fired, blasting cleanly through Lucy's armored body and sending the creature plummeting to the brick plaza below. Alex fell alongside her, barely conscious, and just as he was about to hit the ground, Cynder appeared beneath him, her claws raking the ground in a sea of sparks as she grabbed her mate between her jaws and carried him to safety. Lucy, meanwhile, struck the ground at full force, shattering into thousands of pieces of stony shrapnel. Screaming her name, 'Necro' ran to where she had impacted, and as Cynder gently laid Alex down in the plaza, panicking while she tried to tend to him and heal his injuries, Alex felt his consciousness fade until...

 _...He awakes, finding himself in a warm, comforting darkness._

 _He feels pleasantly numb, and he can feel the encompassing darkness embrace him, rocking him and beckoning him to sleep._ Where am I? _he thinks, looking around. He is not scared, he is not in pain, he is completely comfortable, and he has never felt so relaxed and at ease._

 _Suddenly, a warm, soft, white light begins to pulse in the distance, each pulsation growing ever stronger and more powerful. The light itself emits a pleasant warmth, reminding him of a roaring fire. As he walks towards the light, a soft voice says, "You...are you okay?"_

" _Ruby?" he asks suddenly, surprised to hear the voice of his lover. He frantically looks around, then notices that the voice is coming from the light. "RUBY!" he calls, running towards it, and as he draws closer, he notices that the light begins to take on an avian form. Soon, he can make out details on the shape, and he sees a beautifully-colored bird staring towards him, head cocked to the side. Although feral, her features are somehow feminine, and her eyes are filled with a certain curious light. Her feathers are a bright red in color, tipped with orange, and her eyes are a bright, innocent blue...again reminding him of Ruby._

" _Ruby? Who is Ruby?" she asks in a soft, high-pitched voice, like that of a little girl or boy, "My name is Aurora."_

" _What are you?"_

" _I'm a phoenix!" she replies proudly, and she approaches him curiously, the way she walked reminding him of Cynder, "What are you doing here?"_

" _I...I don't know..." he responds, "Do you know where I am?"_

" _You're dreaming," she replies, "Somehow, you're in_ my _dream. But that's okay, if you wanna stay, you can. There's plenty of room for both of us here."_

" _Listen, do you know how I can get out of here? I need to get back to my soldiers...we're dealing with the end of the war and I need to help them!"_

" _Aww...can't you stay for a little while longer? It's lonely here by myself."_

" _I'll come back, I promise but I...right now I need to get back home."_

 _She frowns, her eyes adopting a look of sadness, and she pouted, appearing on the verge of tears, "Okay...but you promise you'll come back and visit sometime?"_

" _I promise."_

" _Okay!" she replies cheerily, dancing in place out of joy, "Follow me!" and that white light reappears behind her. Humming a cheerful tune, she skips over to the light, Alex right on her heels until..._


	47. Chapter XLVI: The End of the World

_**Chapter XLVI**_ **:**

 **-''Liberation, Pt. II: The End of the World''-**

 **-Town Center: New Alexandria, Montana-**

 **- _16 March 2017_ -**

 **- _1322 Hours_ -**

…"Wake up!" Cynder exclaimed, shaking Alex awake.

With a start, the Commander shot up, gasping for breath and frantically patting around his stomach.

"Don't worry," Spyro said, crouching beside him and prodding the Commander with his snout, "You're going to be okay."

"Where's Aurora?" Alex asked.

"Who?" Spyro and Cynder asked in unison.

The Commander shook his head, "Uh...never mind. What's going on? What happened?"

"Lucy hurt you pretty bad," Zinnia asked, "You passed out for a little while...we managed to drive away Vergil's forces for now but...if we don't get up there and stop him for good, they'll come back."

"Get up where?"

Terrias nodded above, where Vergil's castle hovered in a sea of floating islands and spinning debris, situated in the middle of the rotating clouds in the sky above, where lightning constantly flashed and powerful winds blew various debris around.

"Get up, dumbass!" Kira spat, helping Alex onto his feet, "We ain't done yet!"

Alex stared towards the castle, the size of an ant from this distance. Turning to face the rest of the invasion party, he asked, "You sure you guys can hold this place against Vergil's forces?"

"They've got this covered," Terrias replied, "Let's head on up there. Alex, mind if I ride with you and Cyn?"

Suddenly, several beams of light fired from the sky, and Alpha Company quickly turned to see Synthia and the rest of the Omniversals standing upright.

"Where the hell have you been?" the servine asked.

"Making everything easier on you. You're welcome," Synthia replied.

"Better late than never," Zinnia replied, "I'll bring you up to speed: We're all going to stay down here and hold Town Center while you and the Commander's Wing, storm Vergil's castle all the way up there..." Zinnia squinted her eyes and pointed towards the distant black dot.

Mounting Cynder, Alex said, "I'll explain the plan once we get up there."

"Alright then. Let's go," and in a flash of light the Omniversals vanished once again.

"Let's go!" Alex said.

"Roger that," Cynder responded, leaping into the air and flying straight as an arrow towards the distant castle, never seeming to get any closer. The higher they rose, the colder the air became and the stronger the wind grew. Before too long, the turbulence was so drastic that Alex could barely hold onto the she-dragon's body, and the cold air contacting her warm scales created a dense cloud of condensation around him that made it nearly impossible to maintain his grip. Eventually, the turbulence ended and they sailed smoothly towards the dark and dreary castle, landed on the floating island upon which it sat. Thunder bellowed in the distance, the ground was completely invisible beneath the thick, dark gray clouds, and all around them, debris blew in a cyclone, as if they were in the eye of a strangely, eerily quiet tornado. Just ahead and above, a glowing white light dominated the sky, around which the unnatural, unholy storm clouds were rotating.

"This place is creepy as hell," Kira bemoaned.

"I sense a great, evil energy around this place," Ember frowned, sounding a bit scared.

Alex tossed an arm around both the harpy and the dragoness, pulling them both close to him in a group hug, "Don't worry, we got this..." but even his voice was unsure and unsteady. They were entering the lion's den, and it was hard telling what to expect.

"Welcome to the end of the fucking world..." Spyro snorted, and he nodded towards the waiting Omniversals, standing silent and statuesque, staring towards the distance castle.

"All right...here's the plan," Alex began, standing across from them as Nick arrived, riding upon his dragon, a mighty, black beast named Stealth Cleverwind, landing nearby, "We're going to break off into three groups, there seems to be three ways of entry..." he pointed towards the entrance gate, a breach in the walls high up a tower, and a door leading underground, into the interior of the floating island, "We'll break off into teams, each one will take a separate entrance. Our ultimate destination is Vergil's throne room..." then to the rest of the group, "Any questions?"

"No. Not really," Violet said.

"I'll take that hole in the wall, let's move!" Alex replied, and without another word, he and the rest of Alpha Company flew towards the breach, leaving the Omniversals and Nick to decide which route they wanted to take.

Upon landing inside of the cavernous crevice, Alex and Terrias flipped on the flashlights mounted upon their weapons, crawling through the cave-like tunnels until the path became claustrophobic and they eventually reached a point where much of the rock had collapsed. A small tunnel, barely large enough for Alex to squeeze through, snaked through the collapse, and Cynder sighed, "There's no way Spyro and I are going to fit through there..." and she said, "I guess we'll wait out here, maybe try to find another way in."

"I'd rather not get separated," Alex frowned.

Cynder kissed her mate, "Don't worry, we'll be fine...you just take care of yourself."

"You, too..." Cynder replied with a firm nod, and glancing towards Spyro, they both nodded before turning around and walking away.

"God damn it," Alex spat.

"They'll be fine," Terrias replied, "We got this."

"So it's just you, me, Ember, and Kira?"

"Something wrong with that, dumbass?" Kira grunted.

"Let's just go," Alex replied, collapsing onto his knees and beginning to crawl through the darkness.

"Ooh, I love the sight of a man on his knees."

"Fuck you, Kira," Alex hissed.

"Just do me a favor, and nobody shit themselves while we're down here," Terrias replied.

"You're all strange," Ember said, "You know that?"

"Welcome to the club," Terrias chuckled, "Just wait till Alex over here decides he wants to take you to bed."

"Fuck you, Terrias."

"It's true, isn't it?"

"We're friends, nothing more."

"For now, anyway."

The Commander only sighed continuing through the increasingly shrinking corridors. Before too long, there wasn't even enough room to crawl, just barely enough room to wiggle through while laying prone on his side. "Fucking hell..." Alex bemoaned, "I hate this."

"Claustrophobic?" Terrias teased.

"Very," Alex frowned, "Especially since this is a stone coffin right now. If these stones decide to shift, we're fucked."

"C'mon, lighten up a bit, dumbass."

"Easier said than done, Kira."

"Will you all please be quiet?" Ember asked, "We don't want to alert the entire castle to our presence. We can't fight or escape if those demons appear down here."

Finally, the cave began to open up, and as Alex righted himself to a crawl and quickly pawed forward into the darkness, he let out an exclamation of surprise as he fell out of the hole, falling ten feet before smacking onto the stone floor. With a groan, he picked himself up, the rest of his companions dropping down from the hole and looking around the open chamber they were in.

"Jesus..." Terrias began, nodding forward, "Check this shit out."

With no need for bedrooms or other recreational rooms, the castle was almost entirely hollow on the inside. Within the thick walls that had cut off their route inside, a dozen floors of hallways circled around the entirely open center of the castle, with no floor or ceiling to speak of. From their position on the rampart, they had a clear line of sight into the unnatural eye of the storm, where Alex could just make out the _Inner Dimension_. The wind continued swirling debris around outside of the walls, but here inside, it was completely calm and eerily quiet. Lightning flashed around them, but it emitted no sound. A heavy rain had begun to fall now, with a torrent of water flying off the roof protecting the encircling ramparts from the elements like a waterfall, disappearing into the sky below.

"Never seen _anything_ like this before..." Kira said.

"For fuck's sake...we didn't have to do the crawling in the first place!" Terrias grunted, "Spyro and Cynder could have just flown in here!"

"Probably good we didn't...hopefully Vergil isn't aware of our presence yet."

"This feels too easy..." the servine replied, "I smell a trap."

"Stay on your toes," Alex ordered, "Be ready for anything."

"I think he's expecting us..." Ember said, voice unsure, "I have this...tingling feeling, and I don't like it."

"It's called fear," Terrias said, "Well, either that or suspense."

"No, not that...there's an electric feeling in the air."

"This is an electrical storm...?" Terrias sighed.

"No! You don't understand! It's...!" but she was interrupted as a group of the skeletal shadow-knights crawled out of the floor, charging at them. With the dismal lighting, it was difficult to see the shadow-demons, and Alex wasted an entire magazine before he finally managed to hit one of them. Irritated, he resorted to his pyrokinesis, illuminating the area and using this to find and cut down the knights before they could hurt the group.

Fireballs burning brightly in his partially-balled fist, the Commander snarled, "Move! We need to find Vergil!"

The flapping of wings broke the unsettling silence, and the entire party violently turned to see Spyro and Cynder flapping through the castle interior from the missing floor, spraying fire across each individual floor, moving upwards. "Shit!" Alex roared, "Find cover! _NOW!_ "

They barely managed to take shelter behind a fallen pillar before they could feel the intense heat of dragonfire at their backs. They cowered as low to the ground as possible, and once the heat receded, they emerged from cover, turning to see the entire hybrid balcony and rampart they were on completely engulfed in flames. Choking against the suffocating heat, they hurried out of the path of the hungry flames, finding themselves in one of the castles four corner turrets.

"Okay...so tell me this: Where the _FUCK_ are we supposed to find Vergil!?" Kira hissed, "This place is fucking huge and empty. There's so many twisting corridors and so many goddamn floors that we'll be here all day before we find where that little prick is hiding!"

"The more we bitch about it, the longer it'll take," Alex replied, "Less complaining, more searching. We have a _lot_ of ground to cover, so let's keep going."

"I hate you."

"Love you, too, Kira."

"Dumbass."

"That all you know how to say?"

"Kiss my ass."

"I think you mean 'kiss my cloaca'," Terrias chuckled, and all eyes turned to glare at him, "Y'kow...cause birds don't have asses, they have..." he instantly sobered, sighing in annoyance, "Okay, what the hell. Can't you guys get a joke?"

Kira responded by abruptly smacking the back of the servine's head.

"Right, right...serious mode activated," Terrias replied, rubbing his head, "Jesus...I hope you aren't this violent in bed, Kira."

"Terrias..." Alex warned.

"Yeah, yeah...sorry."

After at least two hours walking aimlessly throughout the immense castle, occasionally running into pockets of shadow-knights whilst avoiding the Imps flying about in the unnatural storm, they finally spotted a path that continued forward, instead of circling around the ramparts. Terrias, now on point, checked to make sure the area was clear before advancing forward, waving for the others to join him. Holding a tight formation, the group continued deeper into the castle, distantly hearing Spyro roaring. As soon as they passed through a large, arched double door, all the torches lining the walls went out in a powerful gust of wind, and countless more shadow-knights crawled out of the walls and floor, surrounding and attacking the group from both sides.

"Seems Vergil's getting a little paranoid," Kira grinned as the group quickly took down the skeletal shades.

"We must be getting close," Terrias replied.

"We're only gonna have more trouble waiting for us ahead," Alex said, "Stay frosty."

Shortly after, they found themselves in a large, open, and tall tower with a fifty foot diameter and climbing upwards of two hundred feet. It seemed to reach into the eye of the storm, and a spiral staircase hugged the open perimeter, revealing countless steps ascending towards the roof. Hundreds if not thousands of torches and candles illuminated the wax-covered bottom floor of the tower, with hundreds more lining the waxy edges of the stairs, giving the whole room an odd, shrine-like feel. Immediately, a powerful gust of wind blew through the tower, moaning and whistling, extinguishing every light and thrusting the chamber into complete darkness. Upon the candles going out, a bitterly cold, frosty wind settled over the tower, and Alex could see his breath coming in clouds. From the floor, dozens upon dozens of shadow-knights crawled out, and a number of Hunters dropped down from the darkest crevices, joining the knights on the floor.

"Ambush!" Alex roared, "Pull back!"

"No, keep moving forward!" Terrias countered, "If we can get onto those stairs, we can funnel 'em through, nice and easy," and before giving anyone else a chance to comment, Terrias hacked and slashed his way to the stairs, sprinting up to the first landing. Behind him, several Sluggers stumbled down the stairs towards him, and with a swear, Alex broke for the steps. Imps flew in from outside through the slotted windows in the sides of the tower, doing very little to illuminate the darkness, and Alex and party struggled against the large ambush, fighting countless enemies—many of which they couldn't really see—in the dark. With enemies closing in faster than could be repelled, Alex forced his group to continue moving up the stairs, hoping to widen the gap between the enemy front and them. Unfortunately, with every demon then took down, it seemed three more appeared in its place, and even after twenty minutes of slowly crawling up the stairs, trying to hold their own against the overwhelming numbers, Alex could see more shadow-knights crawling out of the bottom floor of the tower, with Sluggers, Thralls, and a few more Hunters joining the fray from the hall they had emerged from. Imps continued flooding through the slotted windows, and for the second time since they launched the liberation of New Alexandria, the Commander felt sure that none of them were going to walk away from this alive. He found himself imagining how Ruby was going to find out, imagining how she would react to the news, and with all outlooks appearing grim, he was snapped back to reality as he carelessly walked off the side of the stairs, almost plummeting a hundred feet into the chaos below if not for Terrias grabbing his arm and pulling him back. "Be more careful next time!" the servine spat.

Suddenly, the floor of the tower erupted in a burst of debris and dust, and a powerful vacuum tore through the entire tower, sucking all of the enemy forces on the ground into the dreary abyss beyond. Spyro and Cynder then flew through the newly-created breach, Spyro spitting fire down the hall Alex's party had come from while Cynder roared, "Get up there! We'll hold them off!" Almost immediately upon saying this, hundreds of Imps swarmed in from below, latching onto the dragons' wings and disrupting their flight.

"CYNDER!" Alex exclaimed.

The she-dragon tearing several Imps off her flank with her teeth, the she-dragon turned towards her human mate, "Don't worry! We'll take care of this! You keep going!"

"But..." Alex managed in a small voice before being interrupted by Terrias grabbing his shoulder, urging him along.

"Let's go," the servine said in a gentle tone, "We have a mission we need to complete."

Alex's party continued running up the wax-coated, stone stairs, shooting down any Imps or Sluggers that tried to attack them. Finally, they reached the top platform, seeing a long, vertical ladder that took them through a square, doorless hatch into the rose-tinted room beyond. Quickly scrambling up the ladder, Alex's party emerged in a beautiful hall that took them by surprise. Unlike the rest of the castle, fashioned together with the remains of the city walls, this hall was fashioned from stone bricks, the walls were lined with beautiful, arch, stained-glass windows, and the cobblestone floor was covered in a bright red, woven carpet. "What the fuck is this?" Kira asked.

"Where are we?" Terrias asked, and the Commander quickly glanced back down where they had come from, chills rushing down his spine upon seeing a ladder descending into a dark and dreary dungeon...not a floating tower in the sky.

"Guys...look where we came from..." Alex said in a frightened tone, and they instantly exchanged glances.

"How the fuck did we get here!?" Terrias exclaimed in surprise, "What the actual fuck just happened!?"

"Time and space must be meshing together..." Ember said, "We're at one of the points where the Omniverse and Base World are contacting...we just passed through a tear in the universe's fabric."

"You mean we just went through a fucking time warp?" Alex growled.

"More or less, yes."

"Let's keep going," Terrias said, "We can't let Vergil get away, goddammit."

They hurried through the stormy hallway, occasionally running into small groups of shadow-knights attempting to ambush them. Upon reaching the mighty, arched, double doors at the end of the hall, Alex threw them open, startled to find himself on a windy mountaintop beneath a harsh, baking, golden sun. A powerful, sandy wind blew through them, and the Commander turned around to see that they had exited from the ruins of a desert temple built into the mountain, and were now standing upon an earthen, weather-worn sandstone wall connecting two parts of the monastery.

"What the fuck!?" Kira growled.

"Don't question it," Alex responded, "Keep going."

Upon reaching the end of the wall—this time dealing with Imps that occasionally pestered them—and finally reaching another temple door heading back into the mountain, Terrias struggled to push it open, requiring Alex to help him. Finally shoving it open and crossing the threshold, they found themselves appearing on the busy, bustling streets of a rainy, nighttime New York City. Judging by the make and model of the cars driving past, and the attire worn by the passerby, they were back in the 1930's to 1940's, having emerged from the glass door of a skyscraper's lobby. Several of the New Yorkers attacked, their eyes giving them away as Thralls. Three Hunters also attacked from the crowd, slaughtering and scattering the crowd.

"SHIT!" Kira roared, narrowly missing the charge of a Hunter, "I've had enough of this time travel bullshit! Where the hell are we supposed to go now!?"

"Over there!" Terrias nodded, pointing towards a pillar of light ascending into the heavens, "It's a Minor Beam!"

Taking down or stunning their assailants, Alex's party made a run down the brick streets towards the Minor Beam, enemy forces hot on their heels. After several blocks, and in the blink of an eye, they were now in the aisles of a modern-day airplane. Ignoring the surprised glances of the passengers, and with _Filios Diaboli_ forces after them, the group raced forward, kicking open the door leading into the cabin of the plane and passing through to now find themselves in a giant children's bedroom, as if they were merely the size of Army Men toys. They made a run for the bedroom door, crawling beneath it, only to nearly fall off the side of a forested mountain, soon revealed to be part of a model train set. A train, as big as a real one to them, rounded the corner, and they rotated on their feet, heading back into the tunnel to find themselves on the streets of New York once again, only this time it seemed to be present day. They continued their brisk run down the street, finding a large group of _Filios Diaboli_ Thralls and Hunters blocking off their advance. Terrias led them down an access into the subway, and they appeared in the middle of a rural farm. In the distance, they could see a barn, and upon passing through the doors, they were now high up in a darkened office building. Up here, they found the roof access, opening the door into a lighthouse. Rushing up the stairs, they passed through a door to appear in a long hall, part of Vergil's castle, judging by the architecture.

Pausing to catch their breath, they braced themselves at the door, mentally preparing for what lay on the other side. "Ready?" Terrias asked.

"Not really," Alex sighed, "But hopefully, this is the end."

"The end of the road," Terrias nodded, and together, the two friend pushed open the doors, passing into the large room beyond. It was well-lit, with a domed, glass-less ceiling that gave them a full, unobstructed view of the eye of the storm. Stony stalagmites of varying sizes littered the room, along with pillars that encircled the room's perimeter, holding up the dome. Sitting high on a raised platform in the room's center, at the top of several flights worth of steep steps, Vergil sat casually in a throne made entirely of bone, clapping slowly.

"Welcome, dear friends, to my humble abode. So pleased for you to finally join us on this lovely day. You're running late."

"Your time is up, Vergil!" Alex roared, drawing _Bloodreaver_ , "You die tonight!"

Vergil gasped in sarcastic surprise, "Why, do my eyes deceive me? Is that the fabled _Bloodreaver_!?" and his fake, surprised expression slowly dissolved into a grin of amusement, "However did you find such a worthless antique. In cases you haven't realized, _Bloodreaver_ is designed to kill mortals, of which I am not."

"Prepare to die, demon!" Nick exclaimed, suddenly baring in through a side door, _Soulreaper_ thrust forward, "Your reign of terror ends here! Turn over that shard of Manus you have and I'll go easy on you!"

Vergil cracked up into wild laughter, " _Soulreaper_ AND _Bloodreaver_? I daresay you've thought of everything. My, my, you mortal bags of flesh never cease to amaze me. A shame I don't have time for such petty nonsense, I have a world to destroy!" and with a clap of his hands, two Minor Breakers crashed through the back wall of the throne room, joined by an army of obsidian armor-clad shadow-knights and two more Hunters. Smiling maliciously towards Alex's party, Vergil said in a low, cold, humorless voice, "Kill them."

Alex dove behind a pillar as the Breakers went after him, only to be grabbed out from cover and thrown across the room by one of the Hunters.

As Alex's team struggled against Vergil's forces, the multiversal taunted, "Pity that you couldn't be more like your son, Messoremel, perhaps then we could have become friends."

With Ember cutting down the last of the guards, everyone turned towards Vergil, and Alex, with a furious roar, ran towards the bored-looking Vergil, preparing to thrust _Bloodreaver_ into the multiversal's body. Just as he thrust the blade forward, however, about to impale Vergil, the multiversal dissolved into a cloud of mist, passing through Alex and reforming behind him, telekinetically lifting the Commander off of the ground and launching him across the room. Alex slammed into one of the pillars, sending sharp spikes of red-hot pain throughout his body. As he slid down to a sitting position, seeing stars, Vergil finally descended from his throne, picking up the dropped _Bloodreaver_ and walking towards Alex, bearing his teeth in disgust. In response to the new wielder, _Bloodreaver_ glowed a brilliant, gory sanguine, drowning out the rest of the light in the room with its pulsating glow.

"Tell me, Messorem, did you _really_ believe that you could stop me? In fact, all you've done is help _further_ my cause. There's only so much you can do with a shard of Manus and a pet Alpha Breaker...but this..." he examined _Bloodreaver_ with a wide grin, "With this, entire worlds will bend to my will. You have delivered the most powerful weapon in the history of the Greater Multiverse to me, I should really thank you for such a valuable gift."

As Vergil prepared to stab the whispering blade into the downed Commander, Terrias launched from out of nowhere, attempting to tackle the multiversal. Vergil merely disintegrated into mist as the servine passed through him before regaining his solidity.

Seizing the temporary distraction, Alex kicked Vergil in the crotch, the multiversal only bellowing laughter as he said, "Were you expecting to hurt me? You can't hurt what isn't there, I'm afraid. I've evolved beyond such mortal vulnerabilities."

Again, Terrias tackled the multiversal, this time succeeding in knocking him to the ground. _Bloodreaver_ clattered to the ground, sliding away, and while Terrias clashed with the angry beast, Alex leaped to his feet and made a run for the sword.

"I think not!" Vergil roared, voice booming and layered now, completely unrecognizable as Alex suddenly lost all feeling and control of his limbs. He cried out in startled surprise as he began to levitate, feeling an invisible force wrap itself tightly around his throat, strangling him.

"Alex!" Ember cried, cutting down one of the guards that had arrived to provide reinforcements before throwing her green-bladed _flamberge_ towards the demon. The distraction resulted in the multiversal releasing his grip on Alex, and as the Commander fell towards the ground, landing on his stomach, a pillar collapsed over him, pinning him to the ground. Vergil turned to face Ember, screeching through clenched teeth in pain as the blade tore through his chest before embedding itself in the wall behind him, leaving a flaming hole in its wake. The multiversal clutched the wound, bleeding black smoke, before glaring towards Ember, baring his teeth and raising an arm towards her. Ember cried out as her body stiffened like a plank and she lifted off the ground, trapped in a position as if she was crucified. Screaming in fury, Vergil violently swiped his arm about, repeatedly slamming the captive dragoness into anything and everything around the room. He pulled his hand away from the wound, revealing that it had healed, before, with a final scream, throwing Ember through one of the windows of the throne room, sending her flying into the abyss.

While Vergil dealt with the charging Nick, seeming to have forgotten about the discarded _Bloodreaver_ for now, Terrias and Alex both crawled towards the dropped blade, currently, somehow, melting a hole in the stone floor. "We can't...let it touch the surface!" Alex managed.

Effortlessly tossing Nick aside, Vergil rotated in mid-hover, raising an arm to the sky. Several shadowy spikes materialized in the air, and swiping his arm downward, he dropped them onto the duo, crucifying Terrias to the floor. Following that, and just as Alex reached for the blade, Vergil teleported towards him in, constantly disintegrating into mist and solidifying around the arena in a similar vein to how the Adjudicator had done to Piermont, drawing ever closer to the struggling Commander, unable to reach far enough from his entombed position. The multiversal finally reached the blade, picking it up and thrusting it through Alex's bionic arm, pinning his arm in place. "I will deal with you later," Vergil hissed, turning towards the sky as Spyro and Cynder crashed through the dome, joining the fight.

Eyes wide with fear, the Commander watched as the penetration wound grew larger and larger, his limb burning away from the blade's touch. He tried to lift his arm over the planted sword's hilt and guard, but found that, trapped prone beneath the rubble that had fallen over him, he couldn't lift his arm high enough, only watch as _Bloodreaver_ 's ice-cold blade continued to eat away the hard, nigh-invulnerable steel as if it was a piece of paper spread out above a fire. Relieved, at least, that his bionic replacement had bought him some time to escape—as _Bloodreaver_ would have surely killed him by now had his arm still remained—he tried to control his panic, breathing deeply while he tried to figure out what to do. In front of him, the dragons—as powerful as they were—stood no chance against Vergil and slowly found themselves losing the fight, succumbing to exhaustion.

 _Damn it..._ he thought to himself, extending his mind and calling to all who could hear, _Somebody help us! Vergil's too powerful! We can't stop him by ourselves!_ But when he heard no response, he laid his head down upon the floor, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for everything to end, wincing as he began to feel the heat and pain crawling up from the point of _Bloodreaver_ 's contact, _Ruby..._ he thought, _Ruby, I'm sorry...forgive me...it wasn't supposed to end this way. I love you, I've_ always _loved you, nothing can and will change that. All I wanted was to be with you, to finally hold you and embrace you as my wife, to give you children, to show you the love and care that you so rightly deserve, to ease you of all the pain and suffering you've been forced to endure. I've made a lot of mistakes, I admit this, I've done things I'm not proud of, and I've done things I've regretted...but out of everything, the_ one _thing that I have never regretted, and I never will regret, was opening my heart to you, calling you my lover. I will never regret the times we've been together, the nights we've spent together, I will never regret making love to you, I will never regret telling you that I love you. Know this, and know that regardless of what happens, I will always love you, and I will always be there for you, if not in person, then in spirit...this I promise you. I love you, Ruby, you are the single greatest thing to have ever happened to me...and I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry for lying to you, I'm sorry for anything and everything I have done to cause you grief. Just know that I have never wanted to hurt you, I only wanted to protect you, to keep you safe and happy..._

"Giving up already, Father?" a gritty voice spoke, and upon opening his eyes, Alex was surprised to see Tiberius and Athena appear before him, with a concerned-looking Azazel standing behind them.

"Tiberius? How did you..."

"Don't be mad at me," Zaz whispered, "B-But Ember said that Tiberius and Athena are the key to stopping Vergil!"

"Key? What are you talking about?" and Alex sighed in relief as Zaz tore _Bloodreaver_ out of the ground, his face adopting a terrified expression before suddenly dropping it to the ground with a start, as if having just picked up a hot potato. With Tiberius' help, Alex managed to free himself from beneath the pillar, and he quickly picked up _Bloodreaver_ , forcing it back into its sheathe and sighing in relief that the blade was back in his possession.

"They don't have souls!" Azazel said, "Because they were artificially created, they were born without souls! Vergil can't control them!" and the demon boy cheeped in alarm as Vergil suddenly appeared behind him with a wild laugh.

"Well! So Deitus' progeny is alive!? I could have sworn he put you down after you betrayed him!" and Azazel cried out as Vergil took control of the goat boy's soul, lifting the terrified baby demon into the air and telekinetically strangled him.

"Vergil!" Alex roared, "Put him down! This is between you and me!"

"So, the traitor has come under your tutelage, no? Pathetic!" and the multiversal turned towards Alex, "I'll make you a deal, give me my sword, and I'll return this little pest!"

"You won't be hurting anyone, Demon!" Tiberius roared, leaping from the shadows nearby and pouncing upon Vergil, snapping his jaws around the multiversal's neck. Vergil tried to mist out of danger, but Nick ran towards him, stabbing the beast in the back with _Soulreaper_. Now unable to use his shadow powers, Vergil roared in fury as he reached behind him, grabbing Tiberius by the throat, and tearing the raptor off, tossing him away. Athena attacked next, distracting Vergil long enough for her brother to recover and rejoin the fight.

With a snarl, the multiversal lifted an arm towards the raptors, confused and angry when nothing happened.

"You can't control something that doesn't have a soul," Alex chuckled, appearing behind the demon and thrusting _Bloodreaver_ through his stomach. With a hellish scream of fury, and his body bleeding black ooze around both swords, Vergil snapped to face Alex his pale skin growing darker and beginning to crack and peel, "You can't kill me! I have existed since time immemorial! I...!" but his speech was cut short as Tiberius and Athena pounced upon him, tearing at his back with their claws. He struggled against them, screaming in anger as the raptors tore at his chest, ripping out chunks of skin and black, rotten-looking meat. Finally, Vergil screamed as an explosion of heat and rancid-smelling air emanated from his body, producing enough force to dislodge and throw the raptors across the room. Upon the burst, the multiversal collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath, black, oily blood dripping from very injuries throughout his body and hissing as it touched the stone floor, burning holes through the stone. He reached for _Bloodreaver_ , only to screech as the hilt burned his hand, radiating acrid smoke into the air, a stench like that of charred flesh.

Alex's team recovering from the fight, they charged towards Vergil, but the multiversal quickly and effortlessly knocked them aside, violently rotating on his heels and running towards the side-door that Nick had barged in through.

"After him!" Alex roared, stumbling towards where Tiberius and Athena lay, huddled together, while the rest of his party pursued the multiversal. He collapsed by their side, checking the two raptors for injuries, "Jesus Christ!" he hissed, "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine," Tiberius replied, yelping as he tried to stand. Athena whined in pain, and the Commander helped them up, "I'm getting you two out of here!"

"You can't leave your comrades alone," the male raptor replied, "The beast is powerful, without you, they don't stand a chance."

"Unfortunately, they don't much stand a chance _with_ me either...we knew this was a suicide mission when we started rolling towards New Alexandria."

"Don't give up hope just yet," Athena said, "You can still win...we hurt him, and if it can be hurt, it can be killed."

"What do we need to _kill_ him is the question. _Soulreaper_ and _Bloodreaver_ are two of the most powerful weapons to ever exist, and it took that to simply _hurt_ the bastard."

"You go on ahead," Azazel said, clutching his chest as he stumbled towards Alex and collapsing beside him, "I'll take Tiberius and Athena back to Momma..."

"Zaz? You okay?"

"Fine..." the goat boy replied, and Alex pried the little demon's hands away from his chest. Black blood saturated his shirt, matting his fur to his body.

"You're hurt..."

"I'm fine..." the little goat boy chuckled, "It's...only a flesh wound."

"Bullshit it is!"

"Really, I'm fine...I'll take Tiberius and Athena back to Momma, then I'll go get myself checked out. We'll all be fine, you continue after Uncle Vergil...you hurt him pretty badly, more than anyone else has before, all you need to do is finish him off."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine..." and Azazel hugged his adopted father tightly, his floppy ears smacking Alex's lips, filling his mouth with fur, "I promise."

"I love you, son."

Azazel smiled warmly, "I love you, too, Daddy," and without another word, the Commander, barely managing to contain a grin, turned around and ran towards the side door.

"Come home safely, Father," Tiberius called.

"I will," Alex replied, throwing open the door and disappearing into the dark hall beyond. In the light of the torches, the Commander could just make out a trail of Vergil's black, oily blood spattered about. He followed the trail, through the labyrinthine corridors, finally seeing a door covered in bloody handprints. He put all of his weight against the heavy, stone door, struggling to open it before slipping into the room beyond: a small, immensely tall tower. Unlike the last one, this one was claustrophobically small, with rotted wooden stairs spiraling towards the top. As the Commander made his way up the stairs, completely unabated, the overwhelming silence began to affect him, making him feel paranoid. Several times, he nearly passed out, but he managed to maintain control of himself long enough to reach the top of the tower. Faced with another heavy, stone door, he tried to open it, alarmed to find he couldn't even budge it. He tried several times and several different ways to budge the door before being reduced to continuously beating it with his fists and feet until the former were busted, bloody, and raw, nearly skinned.

Taking a deep breath, he screamed as he ran towards the door, slamming into it and shoving his full weight against it. Finally, it budged, and he kept pressing, smiling victoriously whenever the blindingly bright crack of light seeping through grew larger. Finally, he managed to open the door enough to squeeze through, and the overpowering, bitterly cold and extremely violent wind took his breath away. He tumbled outside, unable to hear his own thoughts above the roaring wind. He couldn't even stand, else risking getting blown off the narrow rooftop upon which he was on, high in the earth's stratosphere. Now above the clouds, he could see the setting sun in the horizon, and the curve of the earth was highly pronounced against the bloody-red sunlight. He closed his bearskin cloak against the wind, concentrating on trying to breathe as he crawled slowly across the narrow rooftop. By the time he finally reached the other side, his lungs burned from the difficulty in breathing, his body was numb from the subzero temperatures, colder than anything else he had been exposed to, and as he tried to rise into a sitting position, the wind nearly blew him over the edge and into the cloudy abyss below. Mutant or not, a drop from this height was fatal. In the distance, across from a long, narrow precarious, stone bridge that creaked and swayed in the wind, he could see one final tower that actually went into the blinding light around which the cloudy vortex swirled. Purple and red lightning flashed around him, striking the roof upon which he crawled. "Fuck me..." he sighed, stepping cautiously onto the bridge and wincing when it groaned and bent beneath his weight.

In the distance, he could hear an ethereal roar, what he recognized as belonging to the Alpha Breaker, and he realized that the sound was coming from the glowing eye of the storm...indeed it was a direct portal to the _Inner Dimension_. Clutching onto whatever he could, he inched his way across the bridge like a worm, trying to take his mind off of the ridiculously stupid thing he was doing by concentrating his thoughts on Ruby, recalling and mulling upon every single thing they had done together, and every single word they had said to each other. In his thoughts of Ruby, he found the strength to keep moving, and before too long, he finally crawled onto the rocky island upon which the last turret sat. Leaning safely against the wall of the tower, he looked back to see where he had come from, thousands of feet below, he could see the peaks of Vergil's castle turrets, still massive from this distance. He then looked around him, heart sinking upon realizing just how far the world had gone. Everywhere he looked, he saw Minor Beams towering into the sky, the sky seemed trapped in a permanent, red tint from this height, and the storm occurred all around him...was it affecting the entire world at once? Was it a global storm?

 _The world is at its end..._ Vigil's voice echoed in his mind, _You must stop Vergil_ now. He craned his head to look a the top of the relatively short tower, seeing a large Minor Beam rocketing from the turret's roof and into the heart of the eye of the storm. With a sigh, he struggled to open the arched, wooden doors, forcing himself through before the wind slammed them shut and abruptly trapped him inside. Like the first tower, this one was extremely well-lit by thousands of candles and almost seemed to be a sort of shrine. A layer of molten wax—so thick that it reached his calves—coated the floor, covering all of the stone floor below. He trudged through the liquid wax, slowly taking the stairs two at a time until he reached the ladder leading onto the tower rooftop. Stomach churning in his gut, anxious and nervous, he slowly climbed the ladder, pulling himself onto the roof of the tower. The rest of his team were cast aside, injured and unconscious.

"Do you see this, Messoremel?" Vergil said, out of breath, "This is what I came for...this is what I strove for! Despite everything you've tried to accomplish," he chuckled, "I won. You can think to defeat me, so what's the point in trying?"

"You'll die, too, moron!"

"I'm aware of my fate," the multiversal replied, "Immortality is a curious thing. When you don't know the concept of death, you begin to wonder. I've been around for a long, long, _long_ time, boy. Hell, I remember when your God was just a whiny little infant, tumbling around in the endless void of space. I've seen things that you cannot even begin to fathom, I've learned everything that you could ever desire to learn...I have all the answers to all of the questions you mortal beings love to ponder. The only thing I _don't_ know is Death, and what's strange is that Death is the only thing I _desire_ to know."

"Then give up and die! Leave the rest of the universe out of your little scheme!"

"It's not that easy, Messoremel," Vergil growled, "You see, as long as a piece of the Greater Multiverse remains intact...so, too, does a piece of me. The only way I can know Death is if there is nothing left that can keep me alive, no...life support...you might say. Within an hour, the Alpha Breaker will finally damage enough Greater Beams that the Capstone Worlds cannot remain apart. The contact of these two worlds will send apocalyptic tremors throughout the entire Greater Multiverse, and after a fleeting moment of pain, there will be nothing left but endless nothingness, everything will be completely numb, and at last, I can answer the one question left unknown to me."

"I will kill you," Alex chuckled, "And I will kill that Alpha Breaker, too."

"I would _love_ to see you try."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but..." and Synthia leaped out of a portal from behind Vergil, slicing him cleanly in half. Upon landing, she continued, "...You're gonna get me instead."

The multiversal regenerated soon after, waving his arm aside and telekinetically slamming Alex into the wall, dazing him, before abruptly turning to face the Omniversal, "Working with the mortals now, are we? How low have you fallen dear Synthia? Maybe I should tell Raziel about how pathetic his entourage has become."

"Tell me something, Vergil. If your grand plan from the start was simply to die and take this world with you, why'd you have to drag us into it?"

"You tell me. Why do you have to guard the Omniverse and try to prevent the collapse? Actually no, I don't really care, it's not important," he chuckled, "Killing an Omniversal...quite an achievement..." and baring his fangs, he launched a ball of shadow energy towards Synthia, knocking her to the ground, "I'll make sure to make your death nice and _slow_..." the multiversal chuckled, approaching her.

Synthia turned the rain into razor-sharp shards of ice, directing them towards Vergil, stunning him. Before he could recover, she took the opportunity to attack him with her sword. Unable to mist out of the way do to the swords protruding from his body, he could do little but take the attack, black, smoky blood oozing from his wounds. While they slowly healed, he once again lobbed shadow orbs towards Synthia, throwing spikes of shadow energy towards her.

"You're on the wrong side, Synthia..." Vergil growled, "Why are you willing to endanger yourself for these mortals? They don't care about you! They only care about themselves."

"Well, to be honest, Vergil," Synthia started, effortlessly dodging each spike, "This world is simply too entertaining. I can't just let it die," and she launched a bolt of lightning towards the multiversal.

The attack struck its target, and Vergil hissed as he was sent sliding back across the rooftop. Breathing heavily, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest as the last shards of electricity spread throughout his body. He chuckled, voice gritty and layered, "You are naïve and a fool..." and he teleported towards Synthia, pouncing upon her and knocking them both off the tower, falling towards the floating island's surface.

Before Vergil could regain control of the situation, Synthia conjured several swords and abruptly sliced Vergil's hands off. Teleporting above him, she grabbed hold of him, free falling at a breakneck pace before smacking into the island's surface. Synthia conjuring two portals, they looped through them endlessly picking up speed, and once they were fast enough, she created yet _another_ portal, this one high up on the tower's wall. She launched another bolt of lightning towards Vergil, sending him through the bottom portal and crashing him through the tower. For several moments, he fell freely through the abyssal sky and the obscuring clouds, crashing forcefully onto the rooftop of his castle, near the dome overlooking the throne room. Synthia landed on the roof of the building, sword held firmly in her hand, hovering a few feet off the ground while Vergil picked himself up, scowling and spitting out globs of black blood. The bloody multiversal turned to face her, baring his fangs, "As flashy as always...that's all you worthless, imbecilic creatures are capable of, showing off as if you are the most powerful beings in the world. Well guess what? Now it's time for me to show what I am capable of!" and with a hellish roar and a blast of thunder, Vergil exploded into a cloud of smoke, growing larger and larger in size to the form of a gigantic, ram-horned, bull-faced shadow-dragon.

 _Soulreaper_ and _Bloodreaver_ , knocked out of their plant by Synthia's rapid fire attack, clattered helplessly to the floor of the throne room, forgotten by the furious multiversal.

"I've had enough of you!" Vergil roared, his voice booming and reverberating around the landscape, intensifying the storm around him. He charged towards Synthia, opening his maw and spewing a tongue of purple flame towards the Omniversal. Synthia swiftly dodged the attack, conjuring a spear from the ground beside her and lunging towards Vergil, warping to dodged the swipes of the shadow-dragon's claws. She warped into the air above the dragon now, thrusting down with the spear to lodge the weapon in his head. With an ethereal screeched, he stumbled back, black smoke spewing from the wound in the top of his head. With her sword, she warped to his torso, slashing rapidly at his stomach, each slash sending a spray of smoky blood He swiped down with his wings, stumbling Synthia briefly before he flapped his wings forward, knocking Synthia across the roof. She managed to grab onto an outcropping before plummeting into the abyss below, however, and as Vergil unleashed another tongue of flame towards her, she rocketed herself over the flame, landing swiftly and smoothly back on the rooftop. Summoning her conjured sword to her, she sprinted towards Vergil, and as he swiped his claws towards her, she leaped onto his paw, using this as a platform to launch herself into the air, planting the sword down through his muzzle. It punched through both his snout and jaw, and she jumped back while the dragon stumbled backwards, screeching as it scratched at its muzzle, attempting to tear the penetrating weapon free.

Synthia leaped back through the dome of the throne room, picking up the discarded _Bloodreaver_ and _Soulreaper_ in a swift, fluid motion, and flipping back onto the roof. Now wielding both of the swords, and with Vergil still trying to dislodge the weapon penetrating his snout, she raced forward once again, warping with both swords to his torso and drilling herself through the middle of his stomach, punching out of his back, flipping forward to thrust both blades deep into his hide. As she leaped back to face her foe from the front once again, she summoned a gust of wind to blow the blood and gore off of her body, freezing it into ice and tossing the frozen spikes towards the dragon, each one tearing through his wings and stomach. Smoky blood shooting out from dozens of wounds across his body, Vergil stumbled back, and with a pained screeched and an explosion of acrid smoke and wind, he disintegrated into mist, reforming and solidifying into his humanoid form once again, where he doubled over in pain. "Huh..." Vergil chuckled, "I feel cold...my strength is failing...is this what Death feels like?"

As Synthia, conjuring her sword once again, approached the downed Vergil, preparing to make the final strike, Nick appeared on his dragon's back, as if out of nowhere, leaping from the dragon's mount and dropping clumsily onto the slanted roof, where he almost slipped. Quickly recovering, he raced towards Vergil, exclaimed, "Time to die!" before reaching the Omniversal. Too weak to even fight back, Vergil screeched as Nick's hand began to glow a faint blue, and he thrust it through the demon's back, tearing out a black, glob of something resembling a heart. Almost instantly, Vergil's body began to lose solidity, smoke pouring from the gaping wound in his back and chest, and he began to dissipate, thick, black smoke pouring out across the rooftop and dropping over the edge, as if he was melting.

With a growl, Vergil slowly stood upright, swiftly conjuring a katana to his side, and he glared at the Omniversal, baring his fangs and preparing to attack. Synthia only rolled her eyes at this display, saying, "Just surrender already, Vergil! It's over."

"Not until I take you down with me..." he chuckled darkly, "The Alpha Breaker will take care of the rest of you lot," and he lunged towards her.

With a sigh of irritation, Synthia severed his hands once again, following this with a relentless series of slashes from her sword, and she swiftly hooked her sword upwards, sending the multiversal into the air. She warped forward, bringing her sword above her head and bring it down on Vergil. The blade punched through his gut and the two fell towards the dome, landing upon it and cracking the stone beneath them. Vergil gasped for breath as Synthia tore the blade free, taking off her medallion, resembling the hilt of the sword itself, and sliding the weapon through. Following this, she stabbed the blade forward again, impaling Vergil and cracking the stone beneath them, sending them both plummeting into the throne room below. The multiversal screamed as he fell onto one of the stalagmites, impaling him in the gut, right beneath the sword, and gravity slid him down the stony point, leaving a smear of smoking, oily blood in its wake and pouring smoke onto the floor below. As Synthia, hovering safely nearby, drove her blade even deeper into Vergil's stomach, the medallion acting as the sword's hilt made contact with the beast's skin. He screamed as his body melted and disintegrated away, eventually becoming entirely mist, and with a powerful gust of hot wind, reeking of charred flesh, the smoke ignited in a burst of flame, and the wind emanating from the blast, accompanying a hellish scream, blew away most of the throne room.

Soon, only a charred skeleton remained of the multiversal, this crumbling and collapsing into a pile of dust, revealing the glowing remains of the shard of Manus lying impaled on the stalagmite. Gently, Synthia pulled the shard from its place, holding it in her cupped hands. Around her, all that remained of Vergil's guards collapsed into piles of ash and dust, not unlike what had become of the multiversal himself, and Synthia glided through the ruined dome, landing beside Nick, who only stared in wonder at the shard.

"So...uh...thanks for killing Vergil, can I have that please?" the Power Keeper asked, but he was knocked aside as Spyro and Cynder landed on the rooftop, depositing Alex and the rest of his party.

"Goddammit...I wanted to kill him," Terrias grumbled.

"So...is he finally gone?" Ember asked, "Is he dead?"

"Yes," Alex sighed, "He's finally gone..." and the Commander turned towards the eye of the storm, "Now, we just need to worry about the Alpha Breaker..."

"How do you suppose we do that?" Terrias asked, "You saw the bitch of a time we had dealing with Vergil. Alpha Breaker is stronger than the fucker."

Alex shrugged, "I don't know."


	48. Chapter XLVII: Infinite Loop

_**Chapter XLVII**_ **:**

 **-''Infinite Loop''-**

 **-The Throne Room, Vergil's Fortress: Above New Alexandria, Montana-**

 **- _16 March 2017_ -**

 **- _1957 Hours_ -**

Alex slowly walked to where _Bloodreaver_ and _Soulreaper_ lay, discarded. As he picked up the former, sheathing it by his side, Nick reclaimed _Soulreaper_ , protesting, "C'mon, Syn! Why can't I have the shard!?"

"I didn't just kill that asshole for you idiots so you could take his power for yourself. This thing is staying with us, where nothing else can get to it."

"But _I'm_ the Power Keeper!" Nick protested, "It's _my_ responsibility to collect and destroy all the Shards of Manus to make sure that he can't grow back! Dravius had a heckuva time killing him the first time! The world can't handle him again!"

"Personally, I feel more comfortable letting Synthia have it," Terrias replied, "Then again, everybody knows that what I think doesn't matter."

Alex, lost in thought and not hearing the conversations going on, approached Vergil's throne, cocking his head to the side at the strange way the back of the throne, crystalline in appearance, glowed. As he reached towards the throne's surface, he was startled out of his trance by Azazel, who had arrived with the rest of Alpha Company to observe the carnage after sensed Vergil's death and the last of _Filios Diaboli_ had perished on the planet's surface. "So..." the goat boy began, "How are we gonna destroy the Alpha Breaker?"

"Not sure, Zaz," Alex replied, "But if what Vergil said was right...we have probably five, ten minutes before the last Greater Beam falls."

"We need to do something!" Azazel protested, but Alex had ignored him, falling into his trance once again. The Commander impulsively reached his hand forward, gently stroking the warm, silky-smooth, glassy surface.

"This isn't fair!" Nick pouted, crossing his arms.

"...If all the Shards are in one place, doesn't that make it easier for whoever the hell you're talking about to come back?" Synthia asked.

"No! Cause only _I_ know how to destroy them!"

Terrias groaned, rubbing his temples, "God damn it."

Alex recoiled with a start as an image shimmered into view in the crystal, and with a small explosion, a portal ignited, devouring the throne and revealing a gate into the Inner Dimension. He fell back in surprise, watching as the Alpha Breaker flew past within the gate, its ethereal roar reveberating throughout the room and turning all eyes towards the Commander: all except for Nick and Synthia, who continued bickering about ownership of the Shard of Manus.

"Really, now?" Synthia said, and her eyes glow briefly before returning to normal, "Now I do, too. So I think I shall be holding onto this."

"WHAT!?" Nick screamed, "How did you...? Darn you! Darn you to frikkin' heck!"

"The hell did you do, Alex!?" Cynder exclaimed.

"I...I don't know..." the Commander replied, frightened.

"Well, looks like we know how to get to the _Inner Dimension_ now," the servine chuckled, "Now, how to kill the Alpha Breaker..."

Alex quickly fished out his phone, dialing a number and whispering underneath his breath, "Please pick up..."

"Hello?" Sam asked on the other side.

"Quickly, how are we supposed to kill the Alpha Breaker?"

"Uh...well...it's kinda complicated."

"Just let me know, as quick as you can, please."

"Well...um...you need both _Soulreaper_ and _Bloodreaver_ for one."

"Then what?"

"Well, you need to actually get _up_ into the _Inner Dimension_. You need to stab the Alpha Breaker in the brain with _Soulreaper_ to render it vulnerable, then once you have it pinned down in one of the..." he flipped through his notes, "One of the capstone universes, then you need to deal the _coup de gr_ _â_ _ce_ with _Bloodreaver_. However, there is a..."

"Thanks," and the Commander killed the call, not even giving a chance to let Sam finish.

"What was that about?" Zinnia asked.

"I know how to kill the Alpha Breaker..." Alex walked to where Nick, still angry and mumbling to himself, stood, taking _Soulreaper_ from its sheathe.

"Hey!" Nick protested, "What are you doing!? That's mine!"

"Sorry, need it to save the world."

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Cynder asked.

The Commander nodded towards the portal, "I'm going to head up there and take down that wyvern."

"You can't!" Azazel suddenly exclaimed in terror, attracting everyone's attention.

"Why not?" Alex replied, "Shouldn't be too hard."

"It's a one-way trip!" the goat boy continued, "Once you trap the Alpha Breaker into one of the capstone universes, you won't be able to come back here! I won't be able to find you... _nobody_ will be able to find you, not with the cloaking power the Breaker has! That's how it managed to avoid detection from the angels and demons!"

"You have a better plan?"

"Yes, actually..."Azazel frowned, "I know what to...let _me_ go instead."

"Like hell I will!" Alex roared, "Someone needs to be here to take care of things."

"I can't step in your shoes..." he sighed,"Besides, I need to redeem my tainted blood...this is the only way I can do that. My real father did a lot of bad things to a lot of nice people...the only way I can release that weight is if I do this."

"It's my responsibility, Zaz. I'm going, and nobody is going to stand in my way."

"What about me?" Ruby suddenly spoke, her expression disheartened, "What about _us_?"

"Ruby...you know we can't be together again. You're better off moving on, finding someone else who can take care of you, someone who could keep you safe."

" _You_ can," she replied, voice wavering, "You _have_! Alex, I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you."

"Your life wouldn't be complete shit if it weren't for me either."

"It was worth it..." the girl replied with a loving smile, "Yes, life has been hard...but if it hadn't, I never would have met you. We would have never had children...I would have died a long time ago. Please, Alex..." she began to cry, "I can't lose you...not again! You promised you would never leave me again!"

"We can't be together, Ruby...even if I stayed."

"And what about last night?" she spat, "We'll find a way to make it work! We always do!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Then at least let me go with you...I sat out that entire battle, I think I need to earn my keep."

"No," the Commander replied harshly, "You need to be here to take care of Gabriel, Zaz, and the raptors...I'm going alone, and that's final."

"Ruby, you might as well give it up," Terrias sighed, "He won't budge, and the more time he wastes arguing here, the closer we get to the point of no return."

Completely losing control of herself, Ruby embraced him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder, "Please, Alex...don't do this...not again."

"I love you, Ruby..." he whispered, "Nothing can change that..." and although he moved to kiss the top of her head, she instead kissed his mouth, tangling their tongues. After several seconds, Alex broke away from her, and clutching _Soulreaper_ 's pleasantly warm, smooth, crystalline hilttightly, he turned to face the portal, walking towards it.

Ruby turned to Kira, burying her face in the harpy's shoulder as Alex paused in front of the portal, casting a glance back towards his friends and family.

"Take care of her for me...and Sapphire? Be a father to my son, please..." without waiting for a response from either of them, he finally stepped into the portal...

 _...and he is instantly whisked away, yanked up through a pillar of light. When at last, he is able to see again, he turns around, confirming that he is, indeed, in the_ Inner Dimension. _Frantically looking around, he is unsettled to find that the_ Inner Dimension _, once full of glowing beams, is now barren and empty. The foggy clouds clinging to the ceiling and floor are now dangerously close to touching, and he realizes that there truly are few Greater Beams left._

 _Behind him, he sees the last of the Greater Beams, and he falls towards a nearby, ruined tower, quickly running up the steps like he did in the dream where he and Necrodusk were separated. Upon reaching the rooftop, he finds the Greater Beam so close that he can almost touch it, and in the distance, he hears the Alpha Breaker's indescribable roar. He perches precariously on the battlements, glancing around for the mindless beast until, at last, he sees the colossal wyvern approach from ahead. The flying serpent seemed to be miles long—although distance could not accurately be judged here—and completely made of mossy rock and stone, with tufts of grassy hair protruding in various places. As the wyvern rockets towards him, attempting to plow through the tower he is standing on, Alex leaps off his perch, free falling for several hundred feet before he manages to cling onto one of the stony, almost building-like protrusions, pulling himself up and inside through the doorway. Clinging to the opening, he pokes his head through the doorless hole, trying to decide how to take the beast down._

 _Up ahead, the final Greater Beam looms, and the Commander frantically tries to decide what to do. The way the beast looks, it's nearly impossible to determine which side is the head, and taking his chances, Alex decides to take a leap of faith out the door, grabbing onto one of the tufts of fur and pulling himself onto the beast's back. Tightly clutching one of the stony spines lining the Alpha Breaker's body, Alex crawls towards the side of the body facing the Greater Beam. As he slowly crawls across the rapidly moving surface, his life flashes before his eyes, most of his thoughts centered on Ruby, the girl he loves more than life itself. One-by-one, he sees his and Ruby's entire history play out before his eyes, and he wants to cry, he wants to feel sadness at walking away from her, but he can't bring himself to do so. In this plain, there are no tears, there are hardly emotions. Just as he's about to reach the wyvern's head, the beast bucks suddenly and without warning, throwing Alex into the air and nearly sending him plummeting to the abyss below...if not for a firm, cold, and slimy hand grabbing onto his. He looks up to see Necrodusk standing there, and with the archdemon's help, Alex manages to gain his footing once again._

 _Passing off_ Soulreaper _to Necrodusk to ensure that the blade isn't lost, the duo work together to finally reach the wyvern's head. Just as the Alpha Breaker prepares to ram the Greater Beam, Necrodusk thrusts_ Soulreaper _'s blue, crystalline blade into the beast's head. A shrill screech of agony quakes the world, and the wyvern, now unmoving, falls towards the Base World. Alex shields his eyes as they pass through the luminescent clouds..._

 _...Opening them to find himself laying face down on the ground. The dirt against his face is rough, dry, and almost sandy, and with a groan, he stands upright, grunting as he pops his back. The world around him is devoid of color, completely black and white. The sun lays perpetually hidden behind thick clouds, and the landscape around him is dead. He realizes that he's trapped in a falling world, and although his heart sinks at the realization that he's trapped in here, in complete isolation, until the day he dies...if death is even_ possible _in a falling world, he's faintly aware of a presence residing in the back of his mind, and he smiles upon realizing that Necrodusk is with him once again...at least they could live and die together._

 _The longer he stays in this realm, the more his memories begin to fade into obscurity, and he finds himself clinging to the only memory that he knows he cannot lose...Ruby. A pained roar reverberates throughout the world, breaking the otherwise maddening silence, and he runs towards the source of the sound, knowing that, no matter what, he_ needs _to kill the beast that makes the noise. As the clearing he's in gives out into a forested mountain pass, he crosses an eerily still and unmoving waterfall, seeing the writhing wyvern up ahead, appearing the size of a mountain itself. A glowing blue, crystalline sword, the_ only _color in the dreary world, protrudes from the beast's head, and black smoke pours from the wound._

 _Tearing_ Bloodreaver _from its sheathe, Alex lunges towards the Alpha Breaker, screaming as he dodges the swipes of its head, now acknowledging his presence, and counters by repeatedly slashing at the beast's thick, rocky hide with the evil sword. Each strike, despite hardly scathing the beast, erupts a cry of pain and agony from the behemoth, and the Commander repeatedly slashes towards the wyvern, evading its slow, clumsy attacks. It seems like years before he manages to scratch the beast's hide, but he is unaware of exactly how much time...time does not pass in this realm. With endless stamina, Alex continues this deadly dance with the Alpha Breaker until the sun finally goes out, thrusting the world it endless darkness. Still, relying on the little light he can still see with his night vision, he continues his battle against the behemoth until, at last, nothing remains of the Alpha Breaker but a pile of rubble and fur. Following the wyvern's final cries of death, the world is thrust into endless silence, and accepting of his fate, realizing that this is a purgatory he deserves, he slowly slides down to a sitting position, staring off into the darkness. For years, hundreds of thousands of years it seems, he sits there, watching as every memory of his fades into nothingness._

 _Before too long, trapped in the dead world, completely alone, even the memories he clings to the most—those of the cherished girl he left behind—fade away into a muddled, confusing paste. He screams, finding that no sound emerges from his lips, he curls into fetal position, repeatedly slamming his head into the ground, wanting to wake from the nightmare, but nothing is felt. He is constantly taunted by the name of the girl he loved, a name that always escapes his lips, who's face he can't remember, only that her beauty was like nothing else he had ever seen. Finally, driven mad by his lost identity, he shields his eyes against a blinding flash of light before everything around vanishes into a black, endless void. Now, he is lost in this void, and when he screams for help, he's terrified to find that he can_ actually _hear now._

" _Hey..." a soft voice whispers to him, and a soft, warm light pulsates up ahead, "Hey, are you okay?"_

" _I can't remember!" he screams through clenched teeth, "Her name...I can't remember her name!"_

" _Who's name?" the curious voice speaks once again, sounding like a young girl._

" _The girl..." he howls, "The girl that I love!"_

 _The voice giggles, "Was it Aurora?" she teases._

" _No..." he moans, collapsing to his knees, "I...I can't remember. Oh God...I don't want to forget...I don't want to_ FORGET _!"_

 _The light suddenly takes on the form of a bird, and the winged beast hops over to him, cocking her head towards him and helping him to his feet, "Then don't forget!" Aurora says happily._

" _Please..." he begs to her, "Tell me who she is...tell me her name...I need to know!"_

 _Aurora shrugs, "I don't know what to say, sadly..." and she plops down beside him, "But I'm here for you, if you want to chat. It's not like I have anywhere to go."_

 _Reluctantly, he lays against her, "Do you know my name? I...I can't remember my name either."_

 _She frowned, "I wish I could say I do, but I don't remember much of anything either."_

" _Please, you've got to help me!"_

 _She cast a feathery wing over his shoulders, hugging him, "I'll try to help as much as I can, I promise."_

" _Who...who are you?" he asks._

 _She frowns, suddenly shaking her head in confusion, "I don't know...I don't think I_ have _a name, or if I do, I don't remember it."_

 _The boy hugs the bird tightly, clinging onto her as if she would slip through his fingers and disappear forever. Her voice and presence fills him with comfort for a reason that he can't understand. There is a certain familiarity with her, although he can't pinpoint what._

" _You won't leave me, will you?" he asks her._

" _Not so long as you're okay with me being here," she responds, "I mean...if you want to be alone, I understand."_

" _No...please, I need you. You're all I have left, you're all the company I have..." then, "Tell me, do I know you? Why do you seem so familiar?"_

" _I do?" she responds._

" _Yes."_

 _She shrugs, "I don't know, I thought we just met."_

 _The nameless boy sighs, in tears, "I wish I could remember...that girl meant so much to me, and I don't know why. I loved her, and I can't believe I forgot her...help me, please. I need to find her! I need to see her again!"_

" _I can't help you, I'm sorry..." the nameless bird sighs, "But maybe_ we _can love each other? We're here, by ourselves, forever after all..." she hugs him tightly, "We can be best friends! We can tell stories and hug and talk about our feelings! That's what people who love each other do, right?"_

 _He nods, "Yep," and he blinks, again seeing the eyes of the girl he loves. When he turns to face the bird, he realizes that her eyes are the same, and he gasps, "You...it's you..."_

" _What?" she asks, "What's me?"_

"You _are the girl that I love...I remember your eyes!"_

" _Really?"_

 _He nods, "Yes! Without a doubt."_

 _She happily flaps about, skipping around him and tackling him to the ground, burying her warm head in his chest, "Yay! Yay! Now if I can just remember my name..." and she frowns, "I can't remember anything, actually..."_

 _Suddenly, a ball of light appears between them, growing larger and larger until it engulfs them. "NO!" the boy chokes, "Don't leave me!"_

" _I won't ever leave you..." a different voice says, this time entirely inside of the boy's head. He recognizes this voice as his own, and his heart sinks again._

" _Please," an entirely different, female voice says, "Don't leave me, Alex! You promised you would never leave me!"_

" _Ruby..." he says before the light completely devours him and he..._


	49. Chapter XLVIII: Resolution

_**Chapter XLVIII**_ **:**

 **-''Resolution''-**

 **- _Location Unknown_ -**

 **- _Date Unknown_ -**

 **- _Time Unknown_ -**

...Alex awoke with a start, gasping for breath and shooting up in bed. "What the fuck!?" he screeched in protest, glancing around to find himself in a small but homely room. Climbing out of bed, he hurried towards the bedroom door, throwing it open and stumbling out into the low-tech living room of a small, abandoned shack. "Hello?" he called into the emptiness, "Anybody home? Where am I? What's going on!?"

He ran towards the front door, shoving it open and running outside into the well-manicured front lawn of a small little hut, sitting in the middle of a forest.

"What the fuck!?" he screamed again, "Where am I? What the fuck is this!?"

"Good morning," a warm, adult voice spoke from behind the Commander, and Alex violently turned around to see an old, goat-like man standing behind him, wearing gloves and covered in dirt, a tiny trowel in one hand.

"Who the hell are you!?"

"You probably don't recognize me, huh?" the creature smiled, "It's been a long time, Dad."

The realization hit Alex like a brick wall, "Z...Zaz!?"

Upon uttering the creature's name, the goat man walked over to Alex, embracing him tightly, "I thought you were gone forever...but then I finally found you, and I brought you back home."

"You...you've grown...you've grown so much and I..." suddenly, a fresh wave of memories rushed into his numb mind, "Oh shit...Ruby! Where's Ruby!? I need to see her!"

Azazel frowned, sighing and looking away, "Um...how do I explain this..." and after several seconds of awkward silence, he said, "Care for a walk?"

While the duo strolled down a forest trail, Alex surprised by how overgrown the woods were, and a surprising lack of any nearby civilization, Azazel said, "You've been gone for a _long_ time, the world has changed since the last time you were here."

"What happened?"

"You've been gone for..." Azazel paused for a few moments, "Seven thousand years, if I'm correct. I haven't really been keeping track of time, so I may be a few hundred years off."

" _What!?_ You mean they're..." Alex's mood sank, and he felt sick.

"Humans went extinct quite some time ago...I guess the Reapers claimed so many lives that the species couldn't recuperate. Alpha Company passed away...most of them from natural causes..." he sighed, "I'm sorry it took so long to bring you back...but I've been searching for you for many, many years."

"I saved the world?"

Azazel nodded, "You succeeded..."

"I can't...I can't believe Ruby is..."

The goat man took a seat beside his father, "Relax, recover your strength...you've been trapped in a dead world a long, long time...once we both recuperate, I'll figure out how to get you back home."

"You're all that's left?"

"Demons live a long time..."

"Is there anyone else left on this planet?"

"Animals...lots and lots of animals. Personally, I like the quiet, people don't try to hurt me anymore, and I feel safe."

"Must have gotten pretty lonely, all by yourself."

He shrugged, "It is...but I've used this time to atone for my sins and seek peace with myself. I'm not sure what becomes of demons who pass away, but I _am_ nearing the end of my life, I just pray that I go somewhere peaceful and free of violence."

"You're dying?"

Azazel nodded, "Yes...even angels and demons can't escape death. Their life may be extended or reduced by whichever higher power they serve, but left free to their devices, abandoning the hierarchy, and we live and die like any other living thing. I've been alive for fifteen, twenty thousand years, my time on this planet is finally drawing to a close."

"And you're the only sentient thing left here?"

"No," Azazel sighed, "You might like it here actually...dolphins and primates are running healthy, growing societies these days, they're even building their own cities now. In fact, there's an access to a little dolphin town on the coast, a few miles east. I'm good friends with the governor, and he has the sweetest daughter who has yet to be married off, I'm sure he'd be thrilled with the idea of having a son-in-law belonging to a long-extinct species."

"Doubt it."

"The last of the human race was killed during the primate uprising almost three thousand years ago, when they fought for dominance and control. The dolphins helped the human race; they've always been close friends of theirs, ever since the humans made first contact and broke the language barrier between the two."

"I want to go back home. I need to see Ruby again."

"I remember Mama, she was so kind and caring to me, up until the end...even when everyone else turned against me because I was a demon and they were afraid of my power."

Silence for several moments before, "Did she ever remarry?"

"No," Azazel responded,"I think she and Sapphire had a few romantic liaisons but...her heart was always with you, and she swore that she would never find another partner to replace you. She'd rather die single than betray you."

"That's not betrayal! I wanted her to move on and be happy!"

"She saw it as betrayal...she was loyal to you until the end."

By this point, Alex was near tears, and he struggled to contain himself.

"It's getting chilly, what do you say we head back home and get something to eat, hmm?"

Alex stared out the window, sitting near it towards the snow falling lazily from the clouds while Azazel slept in his recliner near the fireplace. The small house was warm and cozy, illuminated only by the warm fire in the hearth, but Alex felt lonely and uncomfortable. He felt as if he was seeing things he was never designed to see, and he couldn't take his mind away from Ruby. All he wanted right now was to be with her, to hold her in his arms, to feel her presence, to look into her shining, loving blue eyes.

He didn't belong here.

He glanced to where Zaz sat, wanting to know whether it was even possible for him to get sent back to 2017, and how long he'd have to wait before he could, if it was possible. "Damn it..." he sighed, leaning forward in his chair and rubbing his face.

"Thinking of Mama?"

The Commander glanced up towards Azazel, casting him a concerned glance.

"Yes," he replied, "We were supposed to get married."

"Really?"

Alex nodded, "Remember that wedding to Zinnia?"

Azazel nodded.

"It was a cover...we were going to surprise Ruby by revealing that _she_ was the one I was going to marry, not Zinnia."

"Why did you leave her then? Why didn't you let _me_ go when I asked?"

"Because I've already lost so many people," the Commander frowned, "I couldn't stand to lose anyone else. Please tell me, is there something I can do? Is there a way I can go back home?"

Azazel shrugged, "I don't know. Time is a curious thing, and going back may undo everything you did with the Alpha Breaker."

"I can't...I can't stay here, Zaz. I don't _belong_ here! I need..." his voice trailed, "I need to go back, I need to be with _all_ of my family...not just you, but Tiberius, Athena, and Gabriel, too. I need to be with Cynder, I need to be with Ruby."

"I'll try to find some way to help you," Azazel said, "But I don't think there's a whole lot that can be done, not without endangering the world again."

"If you can't bring me back, can you at least find a way to bring Ruby forward?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you..." and Alex leaned back in his chair, sighing.

"Why don't you relax? Try to get some sleep...tomorrow we'll see what we can do."

It took a long time for Alex to finally drift off to sleep.

Even when he finally managed to relax enough to _go_ to sleep, he was awakened shortly after by violent nightmares: memories of the showdown with Piermont being the prime offender. Realizing that sleep wasn't going to come back any time soon, he decided to head outside, hoping that a breath of fresh air would put his troubled mind to rest.

" _You seem sad_..."

 _Alex finally realizes that he's no longer standing outside...he is now standing in the middle of a black, empty void. A pulsating orb of light ahead of him provides the only illumination in the enveloping darkness, and from it, Aurora speaks to him._

" _I am..." the Commander responds unhappily, "I miss Ruby...I miss my family."_

" _Well, you'll see her again, right?"_

" _I don't know..." he sighs, "Honestly, it's hard telling. Right now, I'm stuck here, and the way things look, at least immediately, I'm trapped here, a stranger in a strange land...a time I don't belong."_

" _Cheer up!" and the ball of light takes on the form of the phoenix, who happily bounces over to the unhappy Commander, "Everything will work out, you'll see!"_

" _I hope so, Aurora...but I just don't know..."_

" _Even if things don't, you just gotta keep hoping that everything will be okay! What's the point of living if you're going to be miserable all the time?"_

" _I suppose," he sighs, then with a smirk, he asks, "So...you gonna torment my sleep like Ruby did?"_

" _Torment?" she frowns, "I hope I'm not disturbing you...sorry if I am."_

 _He laughs, "Don't worry, you're not..." he smiles towards her, "It's nice to have a friend checking up on my sleeping mind again...there's certain things that I'm just not comfortable bringing to light when I'm awake...it's nice to have someone in here with me."_

" _Your dreams are scary..."_

" _I know," he frowns, "Unfortunately, that happens when you've done the things...when you've_ seen _the things...that I have in my life. The life of a soldier isn't easy, battles and wars torment me long after they end. Hell, I still have nightmares from even the oldest battles in my past."_

" _I'm sorry to hear that."_

" _Promise me something, Aurora."_

" _Of course, anything."_

" _Promise me you won't leave me alone when I go through this. I'm scared of sleep, I'm scared of what I'm going to see when I close my eyes...some company for the hell I go through every night would be nice."_

 _She smiles, nodding vigorously, "I promise. I'd hate to see my best friend suffer."_

"Best _friend?"_

" _Well, only friend I suppose," she shrugs, "But_ a _friend is better than_ no _friends, right?"_

" _Indeed."_

" _So cheer up! Let's get you through the night, together!"_

The next morning, Alex and Azazel sat outside of his hut in silence, listening to the chirping of birds. A peculiar storm seemed to be brewing in the distance, one that carried with it a strange, almost electric feeling in the air. "It's going to be the storm of the century," the goat demon replied, "Haven't had something this magnificent in a long time."

"It feels unnatural..."

"Not surprised, humans resorted to their nuclear weapons in the fight for survival...all it succeeded in doing was messing up the environment."

Something brushed across Alex's back, and he abruptly twisted around with a yelp of surprise, seeing Synthia and Raziel emerging from a portal, "What the...what are _YOU_ guys doing here!?"

"Okay, okay, first off...rude," Synthia responded, "Secondly, Ruby asked me to keep track of your whereabouts here. You kinda disappeared for a few minutes there. Couldn't find you, and then you showed back up here," she looked around, "Where and when is this, exactly?"

Alex's stomach churned, "Wait...Ruby sent you here for me? Can you...can you take me back to her?" he glanced towards Azazel, who nodded in approval with a warm smile, "A-and how did you find me?"

"I'm an Omniversal, remember? I can see everything that was, is, and will be. It wasn't easy to find you, by the way; it was a complete mess," Synthia replied.

"Fascinating..." Raziel began, looking around, "Ah... to live in a world such as this..."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, addressing Raziel.

"A world where nothing is set in stone. In the Omniverse, everything has already been decided. Here, anything can change in a split-second. Even something as seemingly insignificant as whether or not one reads a letter could drastically change the future. It's interesting."

"What about you then," the Commander said, turning to Synthia, "What was so messy about all of this?"

"Mostly the fact that there are millions of different paths for your lives to take. A lot of them lead to... whatever this is. Finding the right one wasn't easy."

"Can you take me back to Ruby?"

"In theory, yes. As far as your story's concerned, though... we're already at the end. One of many. You want to go back and possibly end up right back here anyway?"

Alex frowned, "If it means I can be with Ruby, yes. She's the only one that matters to me."

Synthia opened a portal back to the throne room, a solemn expression on her face, "The day will come when she won't be."

Alex glanced towards Azazel, who nodded once again. The Commander briefly embraced the goat demon, turning to Synthia and saying, "I'll cross that bridge when I get there..." and without another word, he passed through the portal, finding himself in the throne room, empty and abandoned.

Back in Town Center, now showered with rubble from the collapsed, fallen castle, Alex glanced around, searching for any sign of his companions. "Alex...?" a small voice said from behind him, and as he turned around, Ruby raced up to him, embracing him tightly, "Alex...you're back..." she said, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm back, Ruby," he chuckled, kissing her mouth, "I'm back..."

"Well, look who's back from the dead," Terrias chuckled, throwing an arm around the Commander and half-hugging him. Azazel soon ran up to jump into his adopted father's arms, and Tiberius and Athena approached him, allowing Alex to pet them. They stepped back when Cynder approached, affectionately nuzzling Alex's chest, and the Commander kissed her forehead.

The Omniversals watched from a distance, and Alexia turned to Synthia, "You really think it's a good idea not to tell them?" she asked.

"What does it matter, Alexia? One way or another, they're going down that road. We can't change it."

"How so?"

"Because that's where they all lead right now."

"Exactly. Right now. So it can change."

"It's up to them, Alexia. Not us...not anymore."

"Hey guys..."

Alex turned again, startled to see Tails slowly walk over to him, Cosmo in tail. At first, unable to believe his eyes, the Commander wondered if he was still asleep, lost in the future hell where he and Azazel were all that remained, but upon seeing the similarly shocked reactions from the rest of his comrades, Alex couldn't help but to grin.

"Tails? You're alive?" Spyro asked in surprise.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well, the last time we saw you, you drove a bomb into a genesis port," Terrias replied, "Good to see you again, Cosmo...it's been a long time."

The girl only nodded, blushing lightly. Looking around, Tails asked, "Hey, where's Sonic?"

A grim air fell over the unit then, and the Commander found himself with the unpleasant task of explaining what had happened. After several failed attempts to describe Piermont's rebellion and the attempted murder of Ruby and her unborn child, as well as the close encounters of several other members of Alpha Company, Alex finally said, "He's...not around anymore."

Frowning, Tails asked, "What happened?"

Exchanging an awkward glance with Terrias, who shrugged and stepped back, the Commander replied, "Remember that genesis port you shut down?"

Reluctantly, the fox nodded.

"Well, these genocidal machines, called Reapers, came out of that port."

"Yeah, I remember...the bridging world was where they came from."

"Well, we found out that Zack had taken control of those machines by using the brain from the Reaper we destroyed to intercept and hijack the commands issued by the Reaper commander, named Harbinger, thus managing to command the Reapers himself. After I killed Zack..." Alex raised his bionic limb, "That's how I lost my arm...the brain was critically damaged, it went offline, and Harbinger took control of the machines again. Terrias and I were captured and brainwashed by the machines, they severed my connection to the mind bank, Piermont went crazy because of the severance of our bond...and after two or three years of stress, he finally lost control of himself and had to be put down by Ruby when he tried to kill me, Terrias, Rapid, her, and our kid...and yes, Ruby and I have a kid now. Unfortunately, Piermont's corruption spread to several of our brothers who were vulnerable from stress or loss...including Keisha, Spyro, Nala...and Sonic."

"So he's..." the fox began to tear up.

Alex nodded, "We've lost a lot of our brothers since you left us...Simba, Rudolph, Cherub, Piermont, Keisha, Nala, Sonic...they're all gone now. Elliot passed away, too...from lung cancer last year. Beta Company has been annihilated, we lost our alliance to Martaan and Fort Ozark because of what Terrias and I did under the Reapers' control..."

Tails exchanged a saddened glance with Cosmo, "I guess we've missed a lot of stuff...huh? There's a lot of new faces here I don't recognize, and a lot of old faces I don't see anymore...there's a lot of catching up to do."

"It's been three years, Tails. A lot has happened in that time."

The fox sighed, shaking his head, "So much has changed...I can't believe it."

"You'll get used to it in time," Terrias replied.

"No..." the fox replied, again shaking his head, "I don't think I will...and even if I did, I'm not sure I want to risk losing Cosmo again."

"You're leaving us again?" Alex asked, surprised.

"Cosmo and I were talking to Synthia and Raziel...I guess there's a spot in the Omniverse we can go to, where we can live _normal_ lives, and we don't have to risk death and suffering all the time. If there's one thing I've realized in all the time I had without Cosmo by my side, it's that I don't want to do this, I don't want to fight...I want to settle down, start a family..." he sighed, "I was hoping to see if Sonic wanted to come with me, but since you said he's..." the fox's voice trailed, and tears ran silently down his cheeks as he found himself unable to say it, "I just...I can't."

With a nod of understanding, Alex approached the fox, hugging him tightly, "It was good to see you again, Tails..." and he nodded towards Cosmo, "You, too, Cosmo."

"I'm sorry," Tails replied, "I don't want to hurt your feelings or let you down but I...so much has changed in such a short amount of time...and I...I need stability. This is just, it's too much...I don't want to risk losing my friends and family anymore."

"Hey, you don't need to tell us, Tails," Terrias replied, "We understand just fine...what we do isn't for the faint of heart."

"Hell, the instability and unpredictability that comes with just _living_ in the Base Worldisn't for everybody," Dash snorted.

"Especially now that you're working with General 'Necro'..." Tails said in a distrusting tone, glaring towards the general, who simply leaned against the Second Civil War memorial, arms crossed at his chest, a cigarette smoldering in the corner of his mouth, "I can't forgive him for the things he did with the _Maxia_...for the things the _Maxia_ did to _us_...for what they did to Cosmo..."

"Our relationship with 'Necro' is...complicated," Spyro said, "It's hardly desirable, but he was vital to taking down Vergil."

"No he wasn't," Rocket snorted with a fake laugh, "We did _that_ by ourselves! All 'Necro' did was throw a crappy little tantrum because we killed his _'poor, dear Lucy_ '."

"Bite your tongue, before I cut it out," 'Necro' snarled.

"Don't antagonize him, Rocket," Alex sighed, then towards Tails, "Well, I'm sorry you guys couldn't stay, but it was wonderful to see you two again."

Tails nodded, then turn towards the Omniversals, "I'm ready now..." and in a small voice, "Do you think...do you think you could bring Sonic back, too? So he can come with us?"

"Tails, you _really_ don't want to see the state that Sonic was in when we put him down with Piermont and Nala...unless you want to pull him from some other, alternate reality when the Reapers weren't a thing...they're the ones that fucked all this up in the _first_ place," Terrias said.

"That's the point," the fox replied, voice a little more firm now.

Raziel shook his head, "I'm sorry, Tails, but it's not possible. The only place we could pull him from is the time of his death, and in the middle of all that chaos, to be seen by anyone besides him before I actually arrived here would complicate things. Synthia and the others can't do anything, since they were there at the time; there can't be more than one copy of any of us running around."

The fox only sighed, "I guess I should have seen that one coming...anyway, I'm ready to go whenever you guys are."

Alex stood upon his private balcony, smoking in solitude in the warm, summer, New Alexandrian night while Alpha Company said goodbye to the departing Omniversals. When the others had left, and just as Synthia was about to leave, the Commander called over to her, mantling the balcony's banister, falling to the ground, and approaching the Omniversal, "Mind if I talk to you in private?"

"...Okay," Synthia responded, reluctantly.

As they walked through the hedges towards the fountain in the courtyard, Alex said, "I know we had a bit of a rough start, but I just wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier. This past year has been...stressful...to say the least, but that doesn't excuse how unfairly I treated you guys, and for that, I really am sorry. You didn't deserve to be treated like an outcast, especially considering we all have our differences here...hell I doubt you'll see a better representation of diversity around here..."

Synthia only nodded in response.

Several moments of silence passed then, before Alex finally said, "And thank you. Without your help, we never would have been able to stop Vergil...that and you pulled my ass out of the fire there. So thank you, for everything..." and with a sigh, he affectionately patted her on the back and turned to head back towards the house, pausing briefly with a relieved smile before continuing forward.

Tails and Cosmo stood firmly in place as a portal opened before them, revealing their new home. Glancing back at Alex, who only nodded towards them, Tails and Cosmo both took deep breaths, holding hands and passing through the vortex, almost immediately emerging in the middle of a bright, sunlit plaza of a busy city. In the distance, alternate versions of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and party were hanging out, conversing with one another. Omniversal Alex ushered them towards the group, all unseen by this world's occupants.

"So...this is our new home, huh?" Tails said, "Thank you guys...really."

Alex smiled and nodded, "It's about time you caught a break, I think."

Tails smiled towards Cosmo, taking her in his arms and kissing her mouth firmly, "This is all that we needed, thank you..." and to his love, "Now, we can be together without fear. Our days of fighting are over. We can settle down and start a family, and we can be happy together."

"I'll leave you to it, then. Goodbye, you two. Take care," Alex said. As he turned to leave, he saw Violet off in the distance, watching them. Unseen by either Tails or Cosmo, she looked at Alex, as if silently asking a question, to which Alex answered only by shaking his head slowly. After this, they teleported to rejoin the others, passing through a portal Synthia created, taking them back home once and for all.


	50. Epilogue: Unity

_**Epilogue**_ **:**

 **-''Unity''-**

 **-New Alexandria, Montana-**

 **- _17 March 2017_ -**

 **- _1200 Hours_ -**

Alex adjusted the tie on his suit, glaring at his haggard expression on the mirror. His hair had been cut, his goatee shaven and manicured, and he had made sure to look his best. He paused briefly to stare at his reflection, closing his bionic arm into a fist. This day was a long time coming, and although he didn't understand why, he was nervous, scared even. Everything he had experienced before was nothing compared to what he was about to do. He reached for the bottle of whiskey sitting next to the sink, popping the cap and gulping it down. While his senses numbed and his vision blurred, he felt his anxiety melt away, leaving only pleasant bliss, and he quickly gargled mouthwash to take the alcohol out of his breath. A light knock on the door startled him, perhaps his nerves _hadn't_ settled down completely yet. "Come in," he managed leaning forward over the sink to splash water over his face.

"Looks like everyone's here," Terrias replied, slipping into the bathroom, "You ready?"

"Nope," Alex replied, "But I suppose _nobody_ is ready for this, when faced with its imminence."

"You sound scared."

"You're damn right I'm scared," Alex scowled.

"Gotten back down?"

"No," the Commander replied,"I have to do this...if not for me, then for Ruby. She _is_ here, right?"

Terrias nodded, "Yep...sitting in the audience, doesn't look too pleased. Almost feel bad for the poor girl, feeling like a third wheel."

"You sure this is the right thing to do?"

The servine shrugged, "That, my friend, isn't my choice to make. It's yours...but since everyone is out there...well...unless you want the joy of telling everyone to go home, I suggest you go along with it. Kinda too far in now."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement."

Terrias chuckled, "I'm your best man, not your therapist. Now get out there and marry your wife...they're all waiting patiently."

"How do I look?" Alex said, turning around to face the servine.

"I'd fuck you," the servine grinned, affectionately patting his friend's back, "Then again, I'd fuck you even if you were dressed in rags and reeked of a landfill...after a few drinks at least. You _are_ still gonna give me a couple of tugs every once in awhile, right?"

The servine squeaked in surprise upon Alex groping him, "But of course."

"Keep doing that, and you're gonna have to explain why there's two tent poles between my legs."

"If you need a wank before I go out there, I'll be happy to oblige."

Terrias laughed, "Yeah, I think you've kept everyone waiting long enough...get your hot ass out there," and he smacked the Commander's rear, urging him forward before opening the door, holding it open for the groom.

Emerging from the bathroom, Alex walked towards the chapel, pausing in the doorway to take a deep breath. A firm hand grabbed his shoulder and he nearly jumped from surprise, violently turning to see Zinnia standing behind him, "You ready for this?"

"I thought you were going to dress up."

Zinnia, wearing her Sunday best over a wedding gown, chuckled, "Why waste the money? It's not my wedding."

"Thought you wanted to keep up the illusion."

"Figured I'd save my money on something else, rather than a pointless purchase...which reminds me, I saw Ruby earlier...she looks pretty."

"Terrias said she's unhappy."

"I wouldn't say _unhappy_ as much as I would say _defeated_ , she's not expecting _anything_."

"You think this was the right thing? Tricking her like that?"

Zinnia kissed his cheek, hugging him tightly, "I think you will blow her mind, love. You mean a lot to her, and she's been dreaming of this moment. Now go out there and make your girl happy."

With a nervous nod, Alex stepped into the aisle, wincing as every eye in the building turned to face him. Instantly, he realized he was more exposed than he had ever been before, and he battled the instinct to scan the expansive crowd for any sign of threats. The sensory overload sickened him, and he was soon on the verge of passing out. Legs feeling like lead, feeling the pressure of the attention upon him, he stiffly strolled to where Rapid stood before the crowd, clad in a priest's garb with a Bible spread open before him. Finally, he took his stand before the crowd, seeing through them and mentally traveling to the white, sandy beaches of a remote island, attempting to drown out the awkward silence with the rolling waves he imagined. After several minutes of silence, his heart racing and his stomach lurching into his throat, a few low whispers emerged from the crowd, and the Commander turned to face them, trying to remember the words he had recited so perfectly not ten minutes earlier. To calm himself, his eyes scanned the crowd with purpose, until he finally found what he was searching for. In the middle of the room, sitting on the back row, Ruby sat uncomfortably and awkwardly, sandwiched between Sapphire and Azazel, staring towards the ground and cradling Gabriel.

Finally, Alex spoke, his weak voice growing stronger, "There's something that I didn't tell you. Zinnia and I have thought about this day a lot, we've been back and forth on it...and we reached a mutual decision. There _will_ be a wedding today, but it _won't_ be with Zinnia and I..." and his eyes focused on Ruby, who had taken a puzzled interest into what he was saying, "Miss Ruby," he extended a hand as the young girl immediately perked up, "You belong up here with me."

Confused and startled, Ruby anxiously looked around, only to find everyone casting her an approving glance. Curious to how Zinnia felt about this now that the cat was out of the bag, Alex looked towards her. She smiled at him, nodding subtly, and the Commander grinned in relief, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. When he looked up once again, he spied Ruby clumsily and shyly squirming into the aisle, slowly walking towards him. Tears were in her eyes, and she held herself tall and huddled, her arms crossed before her. She continued staring towards the aisle as she approached, finally stopping and turning to face him. "What...what are you doing?" she whispered, "I thought you and Zinnia..."

"Ruby," he whispered to her, "This is about you and me...will you marry me?"

"I can't really say no, can I?" she blushed towards him, smiling and glancing up towards him in the way she always did. Regardless of what form she held, the way she looked at him, the love she showed to him, he knew that it was still the same Ruby he had fallen in love with. His fears and anxiety melting away, he stood tall and firm, wrapping his arms around her waist, and with an approving nod from the both of them, Rapid began the ceremony. Finally, Rapid finished up, and the two newly-wedded lovers sealed their union with a kiss.

Ruby buried her head in his shoulder, hugging him tightly, and he said to her, gently brushing the maroon hair from her face, "I love you, Ruby. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me."

"I love you, too, Alex...and so are you."

- **END-**


End file.
